The Monsters Under the Bed
by Brown-eyed Jo
Summary: Cora Garcia lives alone with her father, Mayor Garcia, as Gotham is thrown into the midst of the chaos caused by the Batman's most notorious villain yet. What happens when Cora is kidnapped by the Joker, and she is pulled into the centre of a world of secrets and madness? Her life would never be what it was before. Joker/OC.
1. A Nightmare

_**A/N: Hey, everyone! :) This is my first attempt at a Joker story, taking place during **_**The Dark Knight. **_**I really loved the Joker, so I wanted to try and write this. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter, as I know it's just introductory and establishes a few things for later on, but if you like it, or you have any comments or suggestions, please review! I'd love to know what your thoughts are! :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy. **_**All I own is Cora, and any other original characters. Now on with the story! :)**_

* * *

I thought maybe I was dead when I opened my eyes. Everything was white, like snow, and bright, like I was looking straight at the sun. I blinked, trying not to squint as much as my pupils adjusted. I was laying on my back, a thin sheet over me. There was the sound of rain, too, pattering against glass. I'd always liked that sound, hail, thunderstorms, anything. We didn't get them too much here.

I took a deep breath as my eyes came into focus, cold, sterile air filling my lungs. It made me want to choke. Shivering a little, I felt goosebumps prickle my skin as I glanced round the still room, deathly quiet save for the rain. There were wires, lots of wires. I wasn't attached. There was a chair in the corner, a sink by the wall. Hand-rails on the sides of my bed. Buttons.

I didn't understand, at first, still too doubting. I was getting a little nervy, then, too, touching my lightly-patterned hospital gown gently. I'd never worn one of these before. I looked down at my body, testing my arms and my legs and my fingers. It all felt the same, all working. There wasn't any pain.

I gazed around again slowly. There was an assistance button next to the bed. Unhooking it from its holder, I glanced over at the door at the side of the room, pressing it with my thumb.

"Hello?" I said hesitantly. There was no reply. I clicked the button a couple more times, waiting a moment before replacing it absentmindedly, my brain feeling woolly. What now? I leant back, shivering again as I listened to the rain outside, the pitter-pattering of the droplets on the glass. What was going on?

I pushed the sheets to one side and edged out of them, my bare feet hitting the cold linoleum, reminding me of the kitchen floor when I got a drink in the middle of the night. I headed over to the door, past the sink, and turned the cool metal handle, peering my head out into the hallway carefully.

That was when I started to wonder whether I was seeing things, a cold terror stirring in the pit of my stomach. I was alone, completely alone. Stepping out of the room, I looked up and down the corridor, a tingle going down my spine. I was on-edge now, my muscles tensing, feeling like anything could jump out at any minute. The fluorescent lights were almost blinding, reflecting off of the cold metal surfaces. It was cold, like I'd been submerged in a tub of ice. Goosebumps were starting to form on my exposed skin.

I let out a shaky breath, my legs aimlessly taking me in one direction as I looked around silently, my heart speeding in my chest. Everywhere I looked was the same. I was completely alone. Making my way down to the reception on the ground floor, everything here felt so outlandish and desolate that that was when I knew I was dreaming, that this was some kind of nightmare that was playing itself out like in some twisted movie. The rain was still coming down outside, pattering against the windows and shaking the trees and shrubbery. Dark shadows were flickering on the glass, and for a moment I swore I could see a pair of eyes in them, watching me silently.

Turning around, I headed back up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time as I quickly made my way back to the room from before. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end now, nausea closing in on my throat. Reaching the door, I stepped inside and turned around to pull it closed gently, leaving my hand on the handle for a moment. I sighed shakily, resting my head on the wood. What was going on? What was happening? I thought over the bleak circumstances, trying not to let a sense of dread fill my body. I was lost; that much was obvious. Which meant that the best thing to do was to stay where you were. I shook my head, trying to regain my composure. It felt weird thinking back on when I was first told this, since I was seventeen. I didn't think I would ever have to use this piece of advice, but right now I couldn't come up with any better alternatives.

I finally turned away from the door, going to head back to the bed to sit and wait. It was then that my legs stopped me in my tracks as my eyes focused on what was in front of me. A sense of being paralysed overwhelmed my body as I took in how I had left the bed, the sheets pushed to the side, but right now there was something that was both pulling me in and pushing me away at the same time. Taking a shaky step towards it, I felt my eyes drawn to the shadow underneath the bed. A sense of déjà vu filled me as I got to my knees, remembering how I used to do this very thing when I was little before I would climb into bed. I slowly lowered my head so I could peer under, seeing nothing but the linoleum floor and the bottom of the wall on the opposite side of the room.

Letting out a shaky breath, echoing in the stark room, I pushed myself to my feet, my spine tingling again. Looking down, I felt my eyes suddenly catch someone laying outstretched on top of the bed, beneath the sheet. My back was sweating, my gown feeling damp. I stared at the body, my heart speeding. I knew I wanted to run, to get as far away from this as possible, but my feet felt like they were glued to the floor, something stopping me from moving anywhere else but forwards again.

I forced myself right up to the edge of the bed, my hands shaking horribly. There was a clenching in my chest, something telling me that I knew the person, though I couldn't think or remember how. I softly took hold of the edge of the sheet and began to pull, my stomach a tight, tense knot. When their face became visible, seeing the blood, the tears were already streaming down my cheeks. The sight was burning into my brain, flickering there like wildfire. All my body could register was the excruciating memories, the atmosphere around me so thick and so stifling it was hard to think at all. All I could hear over the hammer of the rain outside was a high-pitched and crazed rush of laughter that reverberated off the stark white walls, going on and on, sounding so wild I didn't think it would ever stop.

* * *

I pried open my eyes, waking tentatively from the nightmare. A bead of sweat was running down my temple but I was too numb to try and wipe it away, my head feeling like it was in a tail-spin. I swallowed, trying to get some moisture back into my mouth. The last strands of the dream were already slipping away, and I reluctantly let it disappear from my mind, already feeling my body start to relax again slightly. As I sank back into the pillow beneath me, I let myself believe that this was a good thing. It was what I wanted to believe, anyway.

Pushing this out of my mind, I mentally checked my body again, wiggling my fingers and toes. My head felt heavy, a dull throbbing in my forehead. I grimaced, feeling a wave of nausea suddenly hit me when I tried to move. Keeping my head as still as I could, I glanced around me, taking in the same room from before. But this time there was a vase of flowers nearby on the desk, some decorative pictures on the walls. People were bustling around outside in the corridor, and the faint sound of traffic nearby met my ears. I let out a small sigh of relief, just as a smiling face of a woman in her mid-forties with kind, blue eyes appeared to my left.

"Ah," she said gently, "she's awake!" she called over to someone else across from her. My brain was still too woolly to try and speculate who she could be calling over, but before I knew it a face had already appeared to my right, hovering over me anxiously. A sense of overwhelming comfort instantly blossomed inside my chest as I took in the welcome sight of my dad's familiar face above me, a crease between his dark brows. Something that always happened when he was worried. A pang of guilt pulled at my heart, hating the fact that I'd caused it.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

I thought for a minute. How did I feel? It was then that a sinking feeling took over my stomach as I let my mind focus back on my surprisingly vivid dream. The evil laugh that made my senses go on hyper-alert still echoed inside my head faintly, my body feeling like I'd stepped into a very cold room all of a sudden. I pushed it out of my head for now.

"I feel okay, but my head hurts a little," I admitted.

"You've suffered some damage to your head, love," the nurse explained. Her name was Julie according to her name badge. "I'm sure your father will fill you in on the exact details later. But you have sustained a concussion, so we'll have to keep you in for a while under surveillance, though you'll be out tomorrow by the looks of things."

A doctor came in a couple of minutes later to check me over now that I was awake, taking a look at my vital signs and shining a torch in my eyes. The concussion wasn't too bad to my relief but it was procedure to keep a patient in overnight to make sure there were no relapses.

I also found out that I had woken up briefly about half an hour ago but had fallen back unconscious. This made more sense as to why the room was in my head and I had dreamt about it but not everything else that had happened.

I soon forgot about the nightmare altogether though at the sight of my dad's concerned expression, guilt blossoming inside my chest again. How worried must he have been? He'd always had a tendency to become overly anxious over things, checking things through with me again and again if it meant going somewhere new or coming home late. There was also his work: the Mob trials were this week. I sighed, shaking my head at my bad timing.

Once the doctor had left, he pulled me in for a cautious hug, which I returned gratefully.

"I'm sorry," I said guiltily, "for scaring you."

"No, I'm sorry, Cora," he replied seriously as he leant back, a muscle in his jaw pulsing. "Believe me, they're gonna have hell to pay."

Nothing made sense. Everything was blurry, my head still piecing things together. What I really needed right now was some answers.

"What happened?" I said, my heart speeding a little, but Julie had already stepped in.

"That's enough of that, Mr. Garcia," she said sternly. "You may be the mayor, but your daughter is currently a patient here. She needs rest and calm for now. You can tell her in the morning when she's feeling better."

I sighed, knowing I wouldn't get anywhere if I tried to argue. Julie didn't seem like the sort of person who would budge once she had set her mind on something. I would have to find out tomorrow, though that seemed a long way away right now.

My dad stayed with me until late in the evening until even he was finding it hard to keep his eyes open. It was nine-thirty when Julie voiced my opinion that he should go home and get some rest while I did the same here.

"I'll see you in the morning," he said, pulling me in for one last careful but strong hug. I nodded.

"See you then," I said, letting him kiss me on the top of my head before he let me go and then finally left the room.

I sank back into the headboard, feeling horrible. It was clear that he felt responsible for what had happened this morning, and seeing as I couldn't give him any evidence to reassure him, there was nothing I could do to convince him otherwise. Slumping down into the pillow, I felt beaten. All I wanted now was to get home and prove to him that I really was okay, just a headache that a couple of aspirin soon took care of.

It was late in the evening at this point, and though Julie and I chatted a little whenever she popped in, I realized how tired I was. I had lost my cell phone anyway, which meant that I had no contact with the outside world as it was. With nothing else to do, I figured that I might as well go to sleep. I had all of tomorrow to think about the events of today, anyway. But all I saw when I closed my eyes was the stark, white walls of the room I had woken up to in my nightmare, the sound of the crazed, blood-curdling laughter rushing all around me, and a pair of dark eyes that followed everywhere I went.


	2. In the Dark

**_A/N: Thank you to all you guys that have been reading! And a big thank-you to Raina King for your author and story follows and favourites, I really appreciate it! :) I hope you enjoy this chapter as this is where we see a bit of the Joker, but the next one is where it will all start to kick off. So if you like it, or if you have any comments or suggestions, please review! :)_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own anything from _****The Dark Knight trilogy.****_ All I own is Cora and any other original characters in this story :)_**

* * *

It was early in the morning, too dark still for anyone to be up. Although I was struggling to fall asleep, I was starting to remember what had happened yesterday. Turning onto my back so that I was staring up at the ceiling, I replayed the pieces over and over in my head, trying to string them together. I definitely had a lot of time to think; night-time walks seemed to be a big no-no here.

Focusing back on the images that were reappearing in my head, I was surprised and a little bit shocked at how much I had forgotten. A whole chunk of time had been forced out from my memories. I had never gotten drunk before, but I guessed this was what someone would feel like if they had had a little too much the night before and were now only just remembering what had happened. It was kind of scary, having a black hole that was now filling itself back up and not having a clue what had led to my current situation, but reasoning that I was here, that I was alright, I felt myself relax a little.

I could remember being in a café. I liked this one: the atmosphere was always quiet, meaning that you could read while you had breakfast if you wanted. I did this a lot before school - I was halfway through my book now. Pushing my mind back to what was going on, I picked out that my dad was there, too. This was normal. We sometimes went there together and had breakfast; I always opted for a blueberry muffin and a coffee.

Cursing myself again for how distracted I was getting, I forced my brain back to the point at which I was waiting at the pass, and I noticed a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties start to walk over in our direction. My dad was behind me, but suddenly he was in front of me, and the man stepped so close that the two of them were practically chest to chest. He was oozing that kind of confidence that makes your stomach twist, the kind that causes your heart to race at what could possibly be going through his mind.

I remembered sensing the people around me inching backwards, some of the few customers at nearby tables rising to their feet slowly. I was staring, my brain torn between two things as the very real prospect of some kind of fight occurring began to steadily increase: stay and try and stop it, or run. But it was before I could do anything that the gun was drawn from his jacket pocket and he was raising it, just as someone that seemed to have come out of the blue leapt up and crashed into him, trying to pry it out of his hand. Screams erupted around me, customers and staff rushing to get out. I found myself caught up in the middle, pulled in all directions, people elbowing to get past. I registered something catch me across the head, and it was then that everything came to a stop.

I let out a deep breath I must have been holding. It was weird, finally knowing what had happened, or rather, remembering. But this wasn't the wider picture. I didn't know who the guy was or what his exact motives were, apart from the obvious, though I could make a pretty good guess. From the limited knowledge I had of the criminal world, they had to have a good reason for doing what they did. No one just broke the law for the fun of it. I contemplated this, the Mob trials that were this week suddenly entering my head. It had probably been someone working for them. Harvey Dent's campaign to clean up the streets was obviously stirring people up, and the fact that the Falconi crime family were finally in the process of being brought in front of the judge must have done something.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, and it wouldn't be the last. It was a minefield growing up and living in Gotham. You only had to look at someone in the wrong way, and your face could become a bloody pulp in seconds. Though, it wasn't just 'ordinary' criminals that made us all fearful of being out alone. The events of last year suddenly filled my mind, recalling with a pang of terror the fear gas.

There was nowhere else to go other than to stay indoors and wait it out. I'd been terrified, staring down at the streets below that were swamped in the suffocating mist. I had been home alone, watching from my bedroom as people drove themselves into madness, out of fear. The gas was so thick and prying it pierced through even the smallest gaps, filtering under door and window frames so easily that I had to speed around and cram them with anything I could find to keep out the fumes. I had only mildly felt the effects, the worst of it had been in the Narrows, but it had been an experience I never wanted to have again.

I shuddered at the memory, pushing this out of my mind. The first rays of sunlight had begun to stream through the blinds to my left, providing a welcome sight. The sounds of the city as it slowly woke met my ears, the first signs of traffic becoming distinguishable from down below. It was a comforting thing to hear, the opposite to the silence of the hospital during the night, and so within mere minutes, I soon found myself fast asleep, in a much more peaceful and restful slumber.

* * *

Just a couple of miles away, in a location unknown, the Joker was grinning to himself. He was standing by the window, looking out over the vast city of Gotham – _his_ city. They would know this all too soon. Things were about to fall right into place. At this delicious thought, his massacred mouth stretched even further apart at the sides, baring two rows of small yellow teeth as his tongue flicked over his ruby red lips.

"Boss!" one of his men called. He was rushing as he entered the room, panting a little in order to tell his boss the news. But as he got closer to the hunched figure by the window, faintly silhouetted by the dull morning light that was seeping through the glass, the powerful instinct for self-preservation began to kick in to his body. He came to a stop a couple of meters away, not daring to come any closer.

The Joker didn't seem to acknowledge his presence, and the man was tempted to call again, but after a couple of seconds he watched as the man in purple slowly turned to face him, an eyebrow raised inquisitively, his freshly-applied war-paint looking even more menacing. The man couldn't help but gulp, taking in the cold, dark eyes that stared at him from within the blackened eye sockets.

"What_-ah_ is it?" the Joker asked, causing the man's heart to pound in his throat at the sight his stained teeth bared in annoyance at being interrupted. "Y'know, you shouldn't disturb someone when they're _thinking."_ He slid a knife out from one of his pockets, gesturing eccentrically as he spoke. "It's bad _man-ners,"_ he scolded in a sing-song voice, waving the point of his knife in the man's direction and staring down it menacingly.

"I-I'm sorry, Boss," he managed, as the clown before him licked his lips. "We just thought you should know – that – that everything's ready, and we're all set." Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. The Joker's eyebrows raised in response to this information.

"Ah," he said in mild surprise, turning away a little as he mulled it over in his head. The man, from where he stood, could see a faint smile appear on his lips. "Excellent," he breathed. "We can't have just anyone taking her home from the hospital, now, can we?" he asked, though the man knew that he didn't really want an answer. He turned back to the window. "Now _that_ would be _bad man-ners."_

It started off as a giggle, before turning into a full-blown, crazed bout of laughter that caused shivers to go down the man's spine as he watched the figure that was now wheezing in front of him, waiting uncertainly for him to finish. This was a regular occurrence, one he had had to grow used to.

The Joker finally settled down, still breathing heavily. He turned his head back in the man's direction, looking more serious now as he ran his tongue over his lips again. His goon quivered at the knees. Was he about to kill him?

"Keep me informed if there's a ... _change_ to the situation," he ordered lowly before turning back to face the window, looking back over the city as the morning sun grew higher in the sky.

"Yes, Boss," the man replied, speeding out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him.

* * *

A couple of hours later, after waking up from a couple of hours' good solid sleep, my dad had arrived at the hospital, coming to check on me one last time before heading off to work for the day. I was sitting up in bed, and he'd pulled up a chair, much like the previous day. I was pleased to see that he looked much better than yesterday. I had just told him about the return in my memory.

"You remember?" he asked, and I nodded. I had relayed everything back to him, more and more details materialising throughout the morning. I felt incredibly relieved, now that I was confident in the knowledge that there was no longer anything missing from my mind. He sighed. "We think it was a guy working for the Mob, trying to take me out of the picture. He's in custody, but we'll never be able to link him to them, there's just not enough evidence."

I nodded in response, though an inner turmoil was going on in my head. It wasn't anything new; criminals escaped from charges all the time, though of course Harvey Dent was trying to change this. There was a big part of me that was disappointed, and fearful that it would happen again. I sighed, thinking carefully of what to say.

"It's frustrating," I said truthfully, fiddling with the sheets of my bed.

He nodded, letting out a long sigh through his nose. "This city," he said, "it needs something. Not just someone to clean up the streets, even though that's all well and good. It needs something to hope for." He chuckled, looking down. "It's not me. Perhaps it's Harvey, I don't know for sure, even though his methods are so radical. We're trying hard to get this city back on the right track. It's just not enough, everything's threatening to go downhill. There are some good people here, people worth protecting. That's why I do this job. It's hard, though, when the people around you suffer for it. That's always the way." He smiled bitterly. "Oh, I don't know. I guess all you can do is just keep pushing forward, waiting for the light at the end of all of it. I just can't help but wonder sometimes whether I truly am making a difference. Whether this city is past saving," he said.

He was staring in the direction of the window, though his eyes didn't seem focused. I could only imagine what was going on behind them, but I didn't want to ask. It was a fragile silence, a rare kind of atmosphere when someone is so wrapped up in their own train of thought that it would almost be cruel to disturb them. I toyed over it in my mind. Perhaps Harvey Dent was what the city needed. The heroic-looking figure I saw on the front of all the newspapers. But was Gotham past saving? I'd never thought about it before, never really having a need to, but hearing my dad say it had sparked a debate in my head over the city I'd lived in all my life. I thought back to the man who'd first leapt up and tried to pry the gun away from the guy back at the café. No, I thought. It couldn't be past saving. Batman entered my head too. He truly had to love this city for him to go out every night and do what he did.

My dad looked back at me and smiled slightly, and I quickly diverted my attention back onto him. "Thank you," he said. "It always helps when you have someone to ramble to so you don't feel like a complete madman."

We both laughed, though my mind was swimming and I was sure his was too. He got to his feet, leaning over to bring me in for another hug. "You're getting a taxi home as soon as you're discharged, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, the hospital organised it," I told him, remembering what Julie had told me.

"Good." He leant back, pulling on his coat that he'd hung on the back of his chair. "I guess I'll see you at home, then," he said, smiling. I nodded, returning it.

Once we'd said our goodbyes and he'd left for work, I felt my thoughts return to Harvey Dent. He was one of the nicest, most good-hearted people I'd ever met, having been introduced to him once. Could one person bear that much responsibility on their shoulders? I wondered whether this was true of Batman as well. We were all just people, after all. Sighing, I shook my head, trying to clear it. I had the knowledge that I was being discharged later on this morning to look forward to.


	3. Kidnapped

**_A/N: Thank you guys again for reading! And a big thank-you to jamcneill680, Fall-Back-Down, and spurton-Q for following this story and/or adding it to their favourite stories list! :D I hope you like this chapter, as this is where the story really starts to begin. So please review to tell me what you think! :)_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own anything from _****The Dark Knight trilogy.****_ All I own is Cora and any other original characters in this story._**

* * *

I tried not to wince as Dr Faye Donovan peered down at the cut on my head, pulling my hair away gently with her fountain pen as she inspected the two strips of gauze Julie had replaced for me just an hour ago. It had been a lazy morning, spent slowly making my way through a fruit pot for breakfast with a plastic spork and watching early daytime TV. Dr Donovan had stopped by a couple of minutes ago, and it looked certain that I should be able to take enough care of myself at home. Still though, it didn't stop me from starting to bite my lip nervously when she finally leant back and reached so she could take a look at my file. Not even Julie could distract me from the fact that I felt as uneasy in hospitals as much as the next person.

"Well, there's no more signs of any confusion, though you do seem a little drowsy, which is to be expected," she said soothingly. "No problems with vision or balance. The headache will fade, just as long as you keep yourself rested and refrain from engaging in any overly physical activities. You don't play any sports, do you?"

I shook my head. "Not for a while."

"That's good," she nodded. "Until you get yourself better, at least." She smiled kindly. "So, in that case, I think you'll be fine to be discharged. Just be careful what you do the next couple of days, and hopefully all should be well." She got to her feet.

"Thank you so much," I said gratefully, and she waved me off.

"No problem, you take care of yourself," she told me before stepping out into the corridor, closing the door quietly behind her with a click. Leaning back against the pillow for a moment, I let out a deep breath. I was ready now more than ever just to get home and sleep everything off. Plus, I wasn't sure my dad was ever going to let me leave the house again. Typical overprotective fathers.

Chuckling to myself, I lifted the covers so that I could slide out of bed and start getting changed. My clothes from yesterday were sitting in a folded pile on the cabinet. Pulling off that dreadful hospital gown, I carefully stepped into my jeans, still a little shaky. Everything was fine for me to wear again seeing as I hadn't worn them for all that long anyway, and plus asking my dad to bring something from my wardrobe at home would probably have ended in the weirdest combination imaginable. I'd never been the sort of girl who wouldn't be caught dead in the same pair of jeans twice in a row. A couple of my friends, maybe, but not me. I'd be seeing them in a couple of days (my dad had insisted I take at least a day or so off from school, to which Julie had wisely concurred, much to his delight) and I felt myself smile again at the thought of being reunited with them after what would probably feel like a week.

Feeling almost back to normal once I was done, I checked myself in the mirror above the sink, trying to figure out a way to make myself look at least halfway decent before I left. I dabbed some water at my eyes to wake them up a little and gave my hair a brief comb with my fingers, but with nothing I could do about my pasty complexion I soon resigned that I looked presentable at least. Looking around the room once more, I headed out into the hallway, trying not to bump into anybody as I made my way to the exit.

Just then the nightmare from last night entered my mind, remembering pieces of it as I went down the long corridor that was now full of people. I shivered but pushed it out of my mind, shaking my head. It was useless thinking over something that wasn't real, and plus it definitely wasn't the first disconcerting dream I'd had. Everyone had nightmares.

I soon found myself in reception, and headed out of the glass doors to my left and out into the fresh air, blinking a little in the grey, overcast sunshine that streamed through the clouds overhead. Going down the steps, I knew I now had to focus on finding the taxi the hospital had booked. I suddenly caught sight of one that matched the registration number I'd been given, parked further down the road. I headed over, seeing that the driver had his window down and was resting his arm out of it.

"Hello?" I said, causing him to immediately look up at me. "Hi, my name is Cora Garcia, did the hospital book you to take me to …?" I trailed off, just in case I'd got the wrong cab.

I watched as he suddenly inhaled sharply through his nose, looking sick. He glanced around for a moment before stitching a smile onto his face.

"Er, yes, that's right," he said. He nodded to the back of the car. "If you'd like to get in?"

I hesitated for a couple of seconds before finally going over to the back and climbing inside. I sank back into the leather seat, shaking away any doubts. There wasn't anything to worry about, this wasn't just a random cab I'd hailed from the street that you're warned about from the time you're born. As he pulled away from the curb, I felt myself relax a little as I watched the skyline of the city go slowly by through the window, taking in some of the skyscrapers that towered against the clouds. I'd grown up in the middle of all of it, the noise of the traffic and the feeling of being so tiny compared to the buildings that shot up into the sky.

The driver didn't speak at all, though he did clear his throat a few times as if he was about to say something. I wondered whether to spark a conversation, but decided against it, staring for a moment at the beads of sweat that glistened on the back of his neck through the gap between the head rest and the seat.

That was when things began to take a turn for the unexpected.

Staring back out the window again, I guessed I would be back in twenty more minutes, seeing as I lived in the center of the city and Gotham General was uptown. Plus, everyone was usually at work right now in the day, which meant that most cars were off the main streets; it was around five in the evening that everything became hectic as everyone made their way home. I felt a twinge of confusion suddenly when I realized that we were making a detour.

Maybe there'd been an accident, I reasoned, trying to make out if there was any traffic. But yet something told me from the back of my mind that this wasn't what was going on. Just then we pulled up to the curb and I heard the crank of the handbrake.

"Here we are," he said, sitting back and taking his hands off the steering wheel. I looked out of the window again, a little worried that at first glance I had no clue where we were. Judging by the skyscrapers on the near skyline, we were just outside of midtown Gotham. Peeking through the windscreen, I caught sight of an elevated highway, under which continued the road and a narrow sidewalk for pedestrians to the center of the city. I looked at him questioningly.

"Um, excuse me, but, where are we?" I asked hesitantly.

"25th street," he replied, keeping his eyes ahead.

"But I live at 68th street," I said.

"They paid me to take you here," he said. I sat back against my seat, stumped. Gotham General had paid the fare, and since I had no money on me I couldn't ask him to go any further. I squinted through the windshield. If I followed the road in front of us, I'd be home in half an hour tops. I glanced around outside again, noting how quiet it was. There was no one around, though I could hear cars on the highway up above. I unbuckled my seatbelt.

"I guess there must have been a mix-up," I said, but inside I wasn't convinced. Hospitals didn't just make mistakes with addresses. The driver nodded.

"There must have. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I said, thinking perhaps a walk would do me good and stretch my legs. "Thank you for taking me this far."

I smiled gratefully before opening the door and climbing out. He just nodded, remaining silent. I closed the door gently before starting to head in the direction of midtown, hearing the taxi pull away from the curb behind me and shoot off into the distance. I frowned to myself, looking back at him. What'd been wrong with him? Why had he acted so weird? He hadn't stopped throughout the drive, glancing around every few seconds as if he was looking for something.

Turning back around, I hurried my pace a little, feeling on-edge. Going around the quieter parts of the city on your own was never advised, even in broad daylight, and so being in an area like this with not another person in sight did nothing to calm me down.

I'd driven through here once before, and I remembered it had taken only a few seconds to get from one side to the other. On foot, it would take maybe a minute. Listening to the sound of stray cars up on the highway, I stepped into the shadow of the underpass, sticking close to the wall in case something came past.

It was just a few seconds later that a muffled blast from behind me made my feet stop in their tracks. I immediately spun around to see a small plume of smoke rising in the distance, only a block away. I stared in shock, feeling the hair on the back of my neck prickling my skin. I shivered, a surreal sensation overtaking my body as a voice in the back of my head told me that I shouldn't be here, that I had to get out of here as soon as possible.

Turning back around, I carried on walking, my heart still hammering and a tight knot forming in my stomach. My breathing was shaky now, and I tried not to let myself start hyperventilating, trying not to panic. I was only about another ten seconds away from the end of the underpass when suddenly a figure stepped into view from around the corner. I stopped, letting out a choking sound as I saw the large gun he held in his hands, terror taking hold.

I vaguely felt myself take a step backwards, almost falling over as cold fear flooded my system. My chest was heaving, each of my shaky breaths echoing around me. Backing away slowly, I was just about to take my chances and run when suddenly my back bumped into something, a sickening terror taking hold as realization struck me full-force. There was someone behind me.

A high-pitched giggle that echoed in the gloom met my ears, my body now completely paralysed. The blood was pounding in my head as my overactive senses suddenly registered a cloud of warm breath beside my ear, whoever it was behind me now mere inches away. I gulped, my heart thumping manically in my chest.

"A little lost-_ah, _are we, beautiful?"

I couldn't speak, my mouth completely dry. I took a shaky breath, before slowly turning around so that I could finally see who stood behind me. It took a split second for my eyes to land on the face with clown-like war paint, scars extending from either side of his massacred mouth. My body went cold as recognition crashed over me like a wave. The man that had dominated the media for many weeks now, the psychopathic killer the Joker now stood before me, his mouth stretched into a terrifying grin as he took in my stricken appearance.

_"HELP!" _I screamed then, as loudly as I could, letting the sound that had been building up these past couple of minutes rip through my throat. _"HEL-!"_

Instantly, a grip that seemed to be made of iron took hold of my arm and jerked me back into the wall, a gloved hand clamping down over my mouth as the Joker stared menacingly down at me with his cold, dark eyes.

"Ah-ta-ta-ta," he scolded, though amusement laced his voice. To my horror, he suddenly brought up a small knife within inches of my cheek, the light glinting ominously off of the metal. Tears threatened to spill over as I imagined it piercing through my flesh, transfixed by the sight of it as if I was hypnotised. "We wouldn't want that, beautiful. You might _scare_ somebody."

I couldn't help but let a small sob escape, my legs feeling like jelly. They were barely holding me up right now. The Joker looked over at the man with the gun who was now standing a couple of feet away.

"Bring the van around," he ordered, and I vaguely heard the man muttering into a walkie-talkie. The Joker turned back to me, the knife coming closer to my face so that it was resting just above my cheekbone. I kept as still as possible, staring down at it fearfully. He noticed where my eyes were, and waved the blade tauntingly, licking his lips.

"You like it?" he asked, waiting a few seconds for a reply. When he knew he wasn't going to get one, he carried on. "Ya know, it's one of my _fav-our-ites,"_ he said, nodding. "The way it … it _cuts through things._ It's so much _cleaner_ than the others. Speaking of which, you wanna know how I got these scars?" he asked innocently.

I was fighting the urge to be sick by this point, my heart hammering beneath my chest. I was sure he could hear it, by the grin that was slowly spreading back onto his face. He opened his mouth to speak again, but just then, the sound of a vehicle as it approached met my ears, causing him to take his attention off me for a moment as he cast his eyes over at it. The brief loss of eye contact caused a flicker of relief to go through me until he turned back his head, irritation crossing his face for a moment as his tongue darted out to lick his lips.

"Looks like our ride's here. But it doesn't matter, we'll have plenty of time to talk later," he said lowly, grinning forebodingly. I didn't want to imagine what he could possibly have in store for me. What was happening right now?

He finally took his hand off my mouth and tucked the knife back into his pocket, but as soon as he'd done this his hand was already clamped tightly around my bicep, squeezing it painfully.

"Come on."

He began to drag me over to the back of a large, black van that was parked a few meters away, the engine running. I started to struggle, tears leaking from my eyes as I fought against his arms around me. I was really getting kidnapped. By the Joker, probably the most dangerous and psychopathic villain in all of Gotham.

A man hurried over and opened the doors, revealing a large space inside with rows of seats fixed to the left and right walls. I was hurled onto the bottom of the van with a clank, grimacing as my head pounded with the remains of my concussion. I vaguely registered others clambering in behind me before the doors were slammed shut again, and the Joker climb into the driver's seat up ahead of me, slamming his foot down onto the gas. I quickly pulled myself up onto the edge of one of the seats, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall once again as the nature of the situation crashed over me. I was in trouble; massive trouble.


	4. Along for the Ride

_**A/N: This is a big thank-you to Kyokkou, Kulhanek and tabrizia**_ _**for following this story and/or adding it to their favourite stories list, and a huge thank-you to jamcneill680 and Kyokkou for being my first reviewers! :) You're all amazing! **__**Here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy. Please review to tell me what you think! :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy**_**. All I own is Cora and any other original characters in this story!**_

* * *

I couldn't remember how long we drove for. It felt like hours, but maybe it was days, and we'd driven right into another state entirely. We made so many turns it was hard to keep track, and double-backed on ourselves so often it felt like it was on purpose. By the time I was sure fifteen minutes had passed, it seemed useless to try and guess in which direction we were heading. It wasn't long after that that I had buried my head into my knees, trying to hold in the tears of defeat that were threatening to fall as I listened to the sound of the others in the van chatting amongst themselves, one of them chuckling now and then as someone made a joke. None of them seemed to be paying me any attention for now, which I was grateful for. It meant I could be alone with my thoughts for a little while as I attempted to understand what the hell was going on.

There was a dark, dingy smell in here that felt like it was chilling me right through to the bone. It was dirty too, the floor coated with mud and something else I didn't want to look at too closely. I wondered what had been in here before: a body maybe. Or maybe this was just his scent. The smell of grease, blood, and death. I cringed as I suddenly heard his voice, realizing that he was conversing with the guy who was up front with him.

"You sure we should go straight there?" the man was saying. "Shouldn't we go back first?"

"No," his nasally voice replied, causing a prickling sensation as the hairs on the back of my neck tickled my skin. "We do this _first._ Then, we'll take her back and settle her _in-ahh."_

I closed my eyes, shivering. I could almost kid myself that this was some kind of bad dream, some kind of hallucination from hitting my head. But the noises, the sense of real, serious danger I was in right now. It was all far too real. The bumps of the van were jolting through my body. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the muscly guy who was sitting nearest had his gun on his knee. Silently warning me not to do anything stupid.

Without telling them to, my thoughts turned back to the madman in the front, the man that had robbed Gotham National Bank and killed innocent people. And was now kidnapping me. Why? A shiver rippled down my back as the image of his cold, dark eyes gazing down at me in the underpass flashed in my head, seeming almost familiar in a way that made me feel like I'd just slipped into an icy pond. I'd seen them before. Somewhere.

The guy in the passenger seat was listening to a voice coming through on a walkie-talkie.

"Boss," he said, "the guys are there with fake Batman."

I felt confusion cross my face at this statement, but upon glancing around, the others in the van seemed to know exactly what he was talking about, sharing amused glances with each another. The dark-haired girl, who was sitting across from me and looked to be perhaps only a couple of years older than I was, snorted.

"What a moron," she said. "What kind of loser does that?"

"Some guy without a life," said the guy next to me, though not as snidely. He seemed a little older than the others, maybe in his early twenties, with cropped hair. Vaguely, I began to sense that I was the object of someone's stare. Looking up, I saw that it was the girl, whose face now held a glower as she appraised me. I quickly lowered my eyes, growing puzzled as I wondered how I had managed to anger her this much.

Just then, the van came to a halt, causing me to almost crash into the back of the passenger seat as everyone righted themselves. The others however, didn't seem to have been affected as much by the momentum as I had. Exactly how long had they all been with the Joker? I wondered how many crazy car rides they had been on that had made them so used to this van and its driving.

"We're _heere,_ folks!" the object of my thoughts shouted from the front. I jumped as he suddenly gripped the headrest of his seat and turned to grin at us in the back, his tongue darting out to lick around his lips. The sight of his dark, beady eyes caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end again.

"I hope you're all as _ex-cit-ed_ as I am," he said seriously, reaching behind him to grab a handgun from the dashboard. "Now, c'mon, c'mon, c'_mon,_ everyone out_-ah."_

His goons immediately grabbed their weapons and the gear bags that were on the floor. I watched them nervously until I felt a pair of eyes burning into my own. I looked over at the source, my breath hitching in my throat at the sight of the Joker's piercing gaze that caused a shiver to go through my body. It was about two seconds before he winked, licking his lips again before turning to climb out of the van.

Everyone followed suit, the younger man with dark, longish hair opening the doors and jumping out, followed closely by the girl. I was just getting to my feet when the muscly guy grabbed hold of my arm and roughly dragged me out of the van. My body landed on the cold hard ground, and I had to hold in the swear word that was on the tip of my tongue. I glared up at him, lifting myself back up to meet his glowering expression.

"You better not be any trouble, girl," he growled, his grip on my arm tightening to emphasise his point.

I decided to be wise this time and simply looked away, searching around for anything that was familiar and that could tell me where we were. I couldn't see the city skyline. Only the towering brick buildings that lined the oppressive back alley we had parked in, dumpsters and air vents dotted up and down here. The building we were next to looked like a warehouse. It didn't look abandoned though; there were trash-bags sitting by one of the bins that looked like they'd been taken out only yesterday.

It was then that I heard a metal click. I swung around to see the Joker walking around the side of the van. Cold terror stirred in the pit of my stomach as my eyes focused in on a machine gun that he was holding loosely in his gloved hand.

At this moment in time there was no doubt in my mind that he was going to shoot me, and this realization caused my blood to run cold. I wasn't of any use to him at all, and there was no fathomable reason for him to keep me around any longer. I gulped, vaguely feeling my stomach twist itself into a knot. I could imagine the _bang_ and the sudden agony of a bullet as it ripped through my flesh. The urge to close my eyes was almost overpowering, but the need to keep my gaze on who I knew without question was the most dangerous man in Gotham at this moment was far stronger.

"This is going to be fun," the Joker growled excitedly, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet as he looked at all of us. "This is going to be really, _really_ fun." He grinned menacingly before licking his lips, looking more serious now.

"You," he said, pointing at the man that had been in the passenger seat. "Stay here and keep watch. You know what to do if anyone comes to spoil _anything,"_ he said, licking his lips.

I was shaking just as a small bunch of people came around the corner of the warehouse. More of the Joker's goons. I felt almost giddy with relief at the fact that they weren't innocent civilians. They were holding a slightly heavier looking man, dragging him along the ground behind them by the arms. As they came closer, I saw that he was wearing some kind of black suit, with both a cape and a mask.

It suddenly hit me that this was what they had meant about "fake Batman" back in the van. My mind was in a downwards spiral. I could just about get my head around this.

_"Ah,"_ the Joker said, and he strolled over to them. He tilted his head as he stared down at the man's beat-up body; he was breathing heavily, looking like he might pass out any second. I watched him sadly, wondering what he had been through.

"Well, it's only our guest of honor!" said the Joker, and I heard some of the others chuckle slightly in appreciation. "Why don't we take him inside and make sure that he's com_-fy?"_

The man was dragged into the building. I watched him disappear through one of the sets of doors before looking back at the Joker. His tongue darted out to lick around his lips, and I felt myself shaking again as he turned his attention back to our group.

"We should all go inside too now, my little clowns," he said.

The men and the girl immediately started towards the building. I had no choice but to follow them, the man's bruising grip still sinking into my bicep. I kept my eyes low as we walked past the Joker, not wanting to catch his piercing gaze again. But suddenly, much to my surprise, the thug's grip on my arm released, the blood surging back to my extremities. I let out a small sigh of relief, rubbing it a little to try and get the feeling back. But before I had the chance to fully revel in my limb being free I felt an arm curl itself around my waist, an instant sinking feeling going through me as the Joker pulled me close to his body. His musky scent clouded my nose and bile immediately rose in my throat.

"And _you,_ beautiful, can stick with me," he said, letting out a gibber as he began to pull me along with him after the others. My heart was hammering in my chest as I forced my shaky legs to keep in step. It wasn't hard to notice the gun he swung jovially yet threateningly by his side, humming a little tune as we walked. I tried to ignore this, though there was no way of desensitizing myself to the knowledge that I was currently less than an inch away from a psychopathic killer who was holding a gun.

We entered the building through a rusty metal door, and to my surprise, found that we were in a meat locker, judging by the sudden drop in temperature and the stark, sterilised surroundings. I kept as quiet as possible, the only sound being our footsteps on the tiles beneath our feet and his continued humming. What was he planning to do in here?

"Ya know," said the Joker, and I couldn't stop myself from flinching slightly at the sound of his voice. He giggled at this, licking his lips. "I'm sorry about the change in, ah … _vehicle_ on your way back from the hospital."

The memory of less than an hour ago flooded into my head at these words. It felt surreal thinking about it now, like it was part of a different universe. I didn't respond, simply waiting for what he was going to say next.

"But," the Joker continued, "the cab driver had an _ap-point-ment_ that he _just_ couldn't miss," he said, and I didn't have to look up to know that he was grinning as he spoke. The memory of the explosion I'd heard and seen in the distance right after I'd been dropped off at the highway underpass filled my mind, an iciness spreading through my body at the awful revelation.

"You killed him?" I asked thickly, my throat constricting as I looked up at him for confirmation. He was chewing on one of his scars, his narrowed eyes rolling up to the ceiling as if he were thinking deeply about something. On instinct, my gaze went to the mutilations up his cheeks, unable to tear my eyes away until he began to speak again, at which point I quickly diverted them back up to his own.

"Well, how _specific_ do you want me to be?" he asked. "It wasn't me personal_-ly_ … it was one of my buddies who blew him _sky-high."_

I felt tears well up in my eyes as he giggled, both out of anger for the death of the man that had somehow been sucked into the Joker's scheme, and pure fear as to what his plans were now as we reached the end of the hallway. I simply counted the seconds until I could attempt an escape, thankful for the fact that he seemed to be in a rather good mood right now for some reason.

_Because he's planning on killing you and that man,_ a voice somewhere inside my head said forebodingly. I quickly shook it away, a cold terror spreading through my body to the tips of my fingers. Was I walking to my death right now? Was he going to slaughter me just like these meat carcasses that were hanging off these hooks everywhere?

We were now in a large room, hunks of pig meat dangling off metal rails all around the walls. It was colder in here than in the hallway, goosebumps appearing on my skin. Nausea crashed over me like a wave at the spectacle, intensified by the sight of fake batman slumped in a chair, his hands tied behind his back, in the center of the room. I felt the Joker bend down to my ear as I stifled a sob, my heart hammering.

"Just sit back and watch the show, darlin'," he said, just as I felt the bruising grip of the thug from before return to the tops of my arms, keeping me from moving. I watched in panic as the Joker released me, sauntering over to the poor man in the chair.

Tears finally began to run down my cheeks at what I was about to witness. Would I ever see my dad again?

* * *

Across town, in his office, Mayor Garcia was drumming his fingers on his desk in frustration, unable to believe what he had just heard. Almost all of the Mob standing trial _at the same time?_ As soon as _tomorrow?_ What was Harvey thinking? It was _insane._ Nothing like this had ever been done before, and with good reason. And for what? They would all be released soon enough, as they always were. He sighed, running a hand over his face in disbelief.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," he called, as Paula his secretary appeared in the doorway.

"Very sorry to disturb you, sir, but someone just dropped this off for you," she said, coming over to hand him a small envelope. He took it.

"Thank you, Paula," he said, looking at it inquisitively. It had been a while since he'd received a handwritten letter before; he could hardly remember when he hadn't emailed something to someone. As the woman left, he began to open it, ripping the white envelope. Rootling inside, he pulled out a small pile of what appeared at first glance to be photographs. Confusion crossing his face, a crease appearing between his brows, he looked closer, and felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.

They were all of his daughter. Crossing the road; walking home; making her way down various bustling streets in the city. He felt his throat close up at the realization. She had been being watched.

He sifted through the rest of them hurriedly, his heart pounding fiercely, until at the very end of the collection he came across a playing card. He flipped it over, his heart now in his throat as he read the words that were written in chicken scratch over the image of a joker:

**SAY GOODBYE!**

**SHE NEVER MADE IT HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL.**


	5. Scars

_**A/N: Thank you all of you that have been reading and also jamcneill680, Angelica Felicity Brice, suki. shah, XionNight and CHSShortie for your follows/favourites and/or reviews, all of you are so brilliant! :) This chapter took a little longer to come out than the others because I'm in the middle of revision for exams next month, so updates will be slow until the middle of May. But anyway, I hope you enjoy! :D Note, little bit of blood in this one.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy.**_** All I own is Cora and any other original characters :)**_

* * *

I was staring at one of the hunks of pig meat as they set everything up. I could feel his eyes on me, his long legs crossed out in front of him with his back against the wall to my left as the sounds of metal trolleys hitting the tiles caused each clang to make a jolt go through my body. I wondered if he was finding it funny. I could hear the girl giggling, talking smugly to the guy with the longish hair as they kicked each one into the wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the man in the chair flinch each time as well. It was almost a relief when they left the room for a moment to do a sweep of the corridors. When they came back, they pulled all the doors to a close behind them, the sounds of the hinges squeaking stiffly feeling like they were grating through my head.

"We're good, Boss," said the young man, coming over. The Joker nodded, and pushed himself off the wall.

"Excellent," he said, and the girl smiled up at him.

He turned to look at the man in the chair. I saw him start to tremble as the Joker stepped closer to him, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet and shifting his weight from side to side. He looked excited, another icy shudder going down my back at the evil expression on his face. I diverted my gaze from the two of them to one of the nearby corridors as the Joker's voice vaguely met my thrumming ears, shaking my head quickly to force my brain back into gear. Now that the initial shock at being kidnapped had passed, I needed to start using my head again to start thinking about why all this was taking place, what was the reason behind the Joker doing this. What did he want?

I relayed the events of the past hour in my head, the taxi journey, the shadowy, empty underpass, but nothing stuck out in my mind as an indicator of any kind of motive yet. Shaking my head, I glanced over at the others out of the corner of my eye, wondering suddenly whether they were near the exits if I did somehow find the opportunity to run. They were all watching the Joker with a mixture of amusement and admiration across their faces, the girl grinning. My mouth dropped open slightly, but before I could begin to wonder what was going through her head, the sound of the Joker's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Have you ever wanted to be on TV?" he was asking, licking his lips whilst tilting his head to the side. It was a couple of seconds before Brian managed to shake his head.

"Noo? Y'know, I'd have thought that a man that dresses up as a _bat_ that goes around beating up bad guys would at least want a _little_ attention? Hm? Even though you're obviously _not Batman_ – oh, how I'd love for him to join us," he suddenly growled, glancing up at the ceiling, "I'm sure this applies to you too, _Brian?_ _Hmm?"_

He bent down so that he could peer into his downcast eyes, but Brian seemed too drained to look back up at him. I felt my hands start shaking slightly as the Joker took out his knife and started twirling it around between his fingers, remembering it pressing into my cheek back in the underpass. There was a couple of seconds silence where no one said anything, not even the Joker, until finally Brian murmured something.

"Batman … wants … no attention," he said, looking back up at the Joker.

The Joker narrowed his eyes, looking like he was scrutinising him before he suddenly smacked his lips just as Brian opened his mouth. He seemed angry.

"You know what I think?" he asked, and his voice echoed a little. "I _think_ that you should be thanking me!" he said. "I really am just helping things _along_ a little."

He grinned at him before getting back to his feet and suddenly started skipping backwards lightly, humming something. Coming to a stop a couple of meters away, he licked his scars again as he held out a hand for something. I turned my head to see the younger guy pull out a camcorder from his pocket and immediately step forward to give it to him before backing away. The Joker brought it up to his face, flipping open the side-screen. I suddenly felt the back of my t-shirt and my forehead was damp from sweat, watching with wide eyes as the camera began to whir to life. What exactly was he going to film?

I felt sick, the knot in my stomach getting tighter and tighter as I watched the two men in front of me.

"Now, Brian, no _pressure,"_ said the Joker, fake comfort dripping from his lips. "Don't want you getting camera shy 'cause, _ah,_ we've only got the one _take._ And, we haven't got much time." He angled the camera so that Brian was fully in the shot. "Perfect," he said, licking around his mouth. It was then that he turned his head to look back over at me, and I slowly diverted my eyes from the floor to meet his dark brown orbs.

"Isn't it thrilling when you know you're on the verge of something that can never be undone?" he said, and I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion. "This is something you're never going to forget."

Something felt like it was squeezing on my heart as I slowly took in those words. What did he mean, what was he going to do? I didn't realize until much later however that this moment would become a memory that I would never be able to leave behind.

I vaguely registered him turn back to the camera. "Oo," he said, "and make sure you speak up, Brian, so that _ev-ery-bo-dy_ can hear you at home. And … _action,"_ he breathed lowly, pressing the red button that signalled he had started recording. I felt a droplet of sweat ooze down my temple from my hair as the man's grip behind me on my arms tightened.

"Can't have you running in front of the camera," he growled in my ear. I ignored him, knowing full-well that I wasn't in control of my body right now. All I could do was stand.

"Tell them your _name,"_ the Joker suddenly drawled to Brian like he was gently coaching a young child to speak. It wasn't hard to miss the threat that laced his voice.

"Brian Douglas," he replied weakly, his voice shaking. The Joker let out a small giggle.

"And are you the real Batman?" he asked, looking like he was practically trembling with anticipation. I couldn't help the glare that formed across my face at him, my stomach growing tighter as the tension in the room mounted slowly.

"No," said Brian, sounding like he was about to cry.

_"No?"_ said the Joker. _"No?"_ He wheezed a giggle. "Then why do ya _dress up like him?"_ he suddenly barked, stepping forward and yanking the cowl from Brian's head. I couldn't help the jolt that went through my body at the sudden change, watching as the Joker dangled the mask in front of the lens of the camcorder, gibbering crazily before throwing it to the side. It landed a couple of yards away from my feet, settling to a stop just as Brian began to speak.

"He's a symbol, that, we don't have to be afraid of scum like _you–"_

_"Yeah._ You _do,_ Brian," said the Joker, holding Brian's quivering face. "You really do."

A gasp escaped my throat at the sound of him growling as he shook Brian's head by his hair. I glanced at the others' expressions, shocked when I saw the girl was still smiling, her eyes flickering between the two of them.

"Oh, sh, sh, sh, sh, shush," said the Joker, running the back of his hand down Brian's cheek. "So you think," he said, lightly smacking each of his cheeks, "Batman's made Gotham a better place? Hm? Look a' me."

Brian's gaze remained fixed on the ground, not saying anything. Suddenly a voice so demonic and menacing erupted from the man in front of us, echoing around the cold room and richocheting off the walls.

_"LOOK – AT – ME!" _he roared. Even the others jumped slightly in shock, exchanging looks as if this wasn't the first time. I felt the blood drain from my face, shivering in the silence. Brian slowly looked up, meeting his eyes. A few seconds went by where the two of them stared at one another, until the Joker quickly turned the camcorder around so that it was angled at himself.

"Ya see, _this_ is how _cra-a-zy_ Batman's made Gotham," he declared, sounding completely deranged as he started walking around with the camera. "You want _order_ in _Gotham;_ Batman must take off his mask, and turn himself _in,"_ he demanded roughly, his tongue darting out to lick his lips for a second. "Oo, and every day he doesn't, people _will_ die," he said, coming to a stop and looking directly down the camera. "Starting tonight." He licked his lips again before bringing his massacred mouth straight up to the lens. "I'm a man of my _wooord."_

All of a sudden he broke out into a burst of laughter that sounded more like a cackle, exposing his rows of glistening yellow teeth. He grabbed his knife out of his pocket and turned back to Brian. The knife imbedded itself into his stomach and the world around me stopped, feeling like an icy current had just passed through me. Brian started to yell and a scream escaped from my chest as the Joker tossed the camera to Caleb, pulling out the knife and stepping closer so that Brian was hidden with his hunched body.

"STOP IT!" I yelled, my voice breaking. Tears were running down my cheeks, the man behind me still holding me by my arms tightly. I closed my eyes, but I could still see his blood dripping onto the peach-tiled floor. My head was pounding and I vaguely sensed myself struggling again, both disgust and anger hurtling through me. I had just seen someone be stabbed, seen a knife sink into someone's body, and I would never be able to let it escape from my mind. I must have been too slippery because the guy behind me suddenly grasped the hair on the back of my head, holding me in place. I reluctantly stopped trying to get away, my chest heaving shakily. I could still feel the tears running down the sides of my face as I felt him bend down to me.

"Don't be stupid," he growled in my ear, just as the Joker finally stepped back from Brian. His eyes were bright and beady as he wiped the blood off his knife with his gloved fingers. I could just see Brian's body behind him, the blood trickling out of his wounds. When he stepped to the side, fully revealing his slumped body, a fresh flood of horror filled me as I took in the bloody smile carved into his cheeks.

I let out a choking sound, my throat closing up as the tears kept coming. I vaguely sensed the Joker look over at us and suddenly I felt the guy behind me let go of my scalp, taking hold of my shoulders again. Breathing shakily, I tried to stretch out the crick in my neck before looking back up to see him now striding in my direction. He was twirling his knife around in his fingers again.

When he was just a couple of steps away his eyes flickered up to his goon behind me, and all of a sudden I was completely released. I brought my hands up to the marks on each of my arms, rubbing them unconsciously even though my body seemed to have gone completely numb both due to the cold and that I'd just seen a man brought to the brink of death right before my eyes.

"Everyone to the van-_ah,"_ he breathed lowly. "Oh, and Caleb, Johnnie-boy, take our little friend here, _too."_

The young man and the muscly guy that had kept hold of me both went over to Brian's body, untying his hands from behind his back and dragging him by the arms out of the room. The girl didn't hang around, already out the door by the time they had unloaded Brian's body onto the floor.

I stifled a sob at the sight, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to run down my cheeks as everyone quickly but silently left. I swallowed, bracing myself. As my eyes hesitantly met the Joker's, shivering as the temperature in the room seemed to drop a couple of degrees, I felt my heart plummet at the expression that now covered his terrifying face; a look that told me he had been planning what he was about to do for a long time.


	6. Nowhere to Hide

_**A/N: This is a big thank you to **_**_jamcneill680, PrettyRecklessLaura, suki. shah, xXFoxy Scorpion BlossomXx, InTheWrongEra, marie. zygoni, Katya Romanov,_**_** and andersonbt92 for reviewing, following this story and/or adding it to their favourite stories list :) I hope you enjoy chapter six! Hopefully the next one should be along soon.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy.**_** All I own is Cora and any other original characters.**_

* * *

I stepped backwards, not stopping until I felt the cold tiles of the wall behind me. All I could hear was my rapid, shallow breathing, tears threatening to fall down my cheeks. He was staring at me silently, watching my every movement. I felt his eyes boring into me as I glanced around helplessly for something, anything. I turned back my head, wishing I could fall back through the wall to the other side as he started to walk towards me slowly.

"Please," I said, coming out as a whisper as he reached me. His hand reached out to push some of the hair from my face, stepping so that we were about a foot away from each other. I avoided his eyes, looking anywhere but him. The metal rails, the hanging pig meat.

My heart was pounding as I made the decision. Before I could fathom what I was doing I was sprinting, running as fast as I could towards a set of doors that had entered my vision. No sooner had I set off I heard a snarl and a set of footsteps storming after me. I had just reached the handle when something grabbed me by the shoulder and flung me away from the doors so hard I landed in a heap on the ground, panting. Scrambling to my feet, I gasped when I felt him take hold of me again, this time pushing me so that I was up against the wall and he was leaning into me, breathing heavily as he frowned down at me. There was nothing I could do as his hand grabbed my neck, and before I knew it he had slammed my head against the tiles, causing my vision to swim for a moment. Tears leaked out from under my eyes with the pain, staring back up at him whilst my body threatened to give out from under me.

"There are two ways we can do this … the easy way, or the hard _wayyy,"_ he growled as he tightened his grip around my neck. I simply clung to his wrist weakly, feeling my head growing heavier and heavier with lack of air. It was getting harder to see, harder to react. Something that caught the light flew into view, and I realized that his knife was now against the corner of my mouth.

"How about we give you a little reminder for the next time you want to try and escape."

I let out a gasp as he threw me to the ground. My body landed with a 'thud', cold air rushing into my lungs with the impact. Wracked with a coughing fit, I didn't see it coming. His foot came out of nowhere, connecting with my stomach. A dull pain resounding through my body, it was too soon before his leg came at me again, catching me in the same place. This time the ache was even worse, causing a moan to escape my mouth as I attempted to curl into a ball, shielding myself as best I could. I laid there in a heap, waiting for the next. But it didn't come. Instead, a hand shot down to grab me under the arm, yanking me to my feet. I swayed dangerously but he had me steady, staring down at me with that anger still in his eyes.

"Let's try this again," he said, bringing the knife back up to my cheek. "See, you only get hurt if you try and do something that's not very _nice,"_ he spat, his face so close now that his warm, sour breath clouded my nose. I wanted to gag. "And _that_ wasn't nice at all."

"What do you want from me?" I said, my ears ringing. I wasn't sure I could even feel any more pain.

_"Welll," _he said as he backed me up against the wall again, seeing that my knees were probably about to give out. "All I wanted was to ask whether you know _why_ we made this little movie, hm?"

I stared back at him, glad when he simply told me anyway.

"Y'see, tomorrow, this little clip will be shown all over Gotham, and everyone will be busy skipping on their merry little _wayyy_, with their same old _monotonous_ routines, trying to keep their perfect little worlds in order," he said, fluttering his free hand mockingly. "But, these, these _civilised_ _people_ … their perfect little worlds that they try oh so hard to control are gonna be shaken up just a little. With _this – little – clip."_

He licked his lips, staring down at me deeply whilst giving me a look. All I could do was simply return his gaze, searching his eyes. They were dark and brown, flickering over the expanse of my face like he couldn't keep them still. I felt uncomfortable, like he was reading all the thoughts I'd ever had just by watching me the way he was now. I sighed a little in relief when he finally leant back, taking away the knife from my mouth.

"I'm just showing people how _pathetic_ their attempts to control things really are," he reasoned. "It's _everyone_. Harvey Dent's one of 'em, the Commissioner's one of 'em, your father's one of 'em," he said, his voice going low. I was shocked at how he snarled a little when the words came out his mouth.

"Right now, he's frantically trying to find a way to get his precious little daughter back _safe and sound,_ to get everything back to the way things _were_. He doesn't know what's coming. No one does," he told me, sounding almost exhilarated. I shook my head, cursing myself when a tear ran down my cheek.

"You're just _crazy,"_ I whispered. "My dad's gonna come and get me. The police will find us and they'll stop you." I wanted to cringe away as he brought his face close to mine, our noses almost touching. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him bring his knife back up to my face, and began to twirl a strand of my hair around the blade gently.

"You'll soon understand," he said, nodding more to himself than at me. "You're soon gonna see things a whole lot _diff-erentlyyy."_

That was when I felt the sensation of something sharp slice through my bottom lip, causing me to cry out in pain. He let me go and I stumbled away from him, covering my throbbing mouth with a shaky hand. I felt blood dripping down my chin. Turning to look at him with both shock and anger written across my face, something clenched in my stomach when I found him staring at me with a hungry expression. After a couple of seconds, he became angsty again.

"As much as I'd _looove_ to stay here and continue our little chat-_ah,_ we've gotta go." He marched over to me and reached to grab my hand. I hurriedly stepped out of his grasp, staring back at him with a look that said there was no way I was going to let him touch me after what had just occurred. A dark expression overtook his face.

"Are we really gonna go through this again?" he growled. I hesitated before walking past him towards the doors I remembered seeing the others leave through. Hearing him chuckle, I felt him stride past me and push his way through them, leaving me to follow in his wake.

As we walked down the corridor, I couldn't help but let the knowledge hit me with full-force that I was still alive. He hadn't killed me. Only a raw sense of relief filled me at this realization, due to the knowledge that he definitely had more in store for me. I felt my brows furrow as I contemplated this. Why hadn't he done away with me? I was no use to him whatsoever, so what was the point of him keeping me around? I didn't have time to think over this fully however as we stepped outside, the late afternoon sunshine beating down upon my face. I found myself wishing that I'd thought to wear a watch yesterday, realizing how much this would help me keep track of the time.

The Joker walked over to the now-familiar large, black van that was still parked in the same place, causing me to sigh slightly. His goons were scattered around it, having loaded their gear that I guessed held weapons and equipment back inside it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw with a feeling of helplessness Brian's body being hauled into the back of another white van that was parked a little further up the alley from where we all stood. I felt my eyes widen as I saw that he was still breathing, hope springing to my veins as the doors to the van slammed shut and it was zooming off down an adjacent back-alley.

"Boss!" one of the goons suddenly cried, jerking me from the sense of sadness that had crept over me as he approached us. I recognised him as the man that had sat in the front with the Joker on the drive here. "Boss," he said, swallowing nervously. The Joker, who had been casting his eye around at us all as if making sure everything was in order, turned his head lazily in the man's direction, his eyes cold.

"B-Boss, when you were all inside, some man on his cell phone came around the corner, and … he saw me with my gun, and that I was about to shoot him, and – and he ran off, I couldn't catch him. I think he may have called the cops," he ended, gulping.

There was a silence of a few seconds where nobody made a sound. The other two men, who I now knew were called Caleb and John, and the girl, who I guessed all already knew, were watching the exchange nervously, looking as if they didn't know whether to look or not. I peeked a glance at the Joker, concerned to find an expression of irritation across his face.

"You know, I thought I told you to keep watch?" he said, causing the color to drain from the man's face. He opened his mouth to speak, but before any sound could form, a loud bang that caused me to feel like my eardrums had just burst from the close proximity sounded. The realization at what had just happened dawning on me as out of the corner of my eye I saw the Joker slide a gun back into his coat, I slowly looked over at where the man had been standing, stifling a gasp as I saw his now lifeless body laying sprawled on the ground, a pool of blood blossoming over his chest.

"Far too quick_-ah,"_ the Joker was muttering to himself. "Everyone in the van, now!" he ordered, causing an immediate flurry of activity as the others flocked to the vehicle. "Johnnie-boy, you're driving."

He pulled me over to the back of the van, just as the faint sound of a siren met our ears. Everyone immediately quickened their movements with the exception of the Joker, who was licking his lips as he listened.

"Ah, what a sound!" he breathed as a wide grin stretched across his face. I cringed when he quickly turned to me and lifted me up by my waist and set me down inside the van, guiding me in the direction of the row of seats. I hurriedly broke myself away and sat down, sensing the girl scurrying over to sit opposite. The Joker climbed in next to me as Caleb, the younger man, jumped in as well, slamming the doors closed behind him.

"Home we go, everybody!" the Joker cried, his tongue darting out to lick his lips as he brought out one of his knives from his coat pocket. The van immediately accelerated down the alley, causing me to almost fly into the Joker's side, only managing to keep myself seated by gripping onto the underside of the frame. Sighing shakily, I focused my attention back onto the sound of the police siren that was growing fainter and fainter into the distance, my hopes for escaping the clutches of the man next to me, who sat twirling his knife around menacingly between his fingers, his motives as to why he had taken me still unclear, fading along with it.


	7. Alone and Afraid

_**A/N: I took a break from revision tonight to update, haha :) This is a massive thank-you to jamcneill680, suki. shah, Carmentis, hayzza1234, Alucardist, TatteredAngel42, RosebudGarden, breannapierson1990, Kyokkou, and sussy6 for reviewing, adding this story to their favourite stories list/story alerts, and/or adding me to their favourite authors/author alerts :) And to the two of you who reviewed anonymously who I couldn't thank personally via PM, thank you! I have my last exam this week, so once it's finally done I'll have more time to update! Thank all of you that have been reading, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Remember to review to tell me what you think!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy.**_** All I own is Cora and any other original characters. :)**_

* * *

This drive was much shorter than the last. By the way we made sudden, unexpected turns down side-streets, almost seeming to double-back on ourselves every so often, I realized it was to throw the police officers that had come to investigate the disturbance off our scent.

The driver, John, must have done his job, because after what must have been less than five minutes, I could no longer hear the siren in the distance that had provided a small yet tangible beacon of hope for my thoughts of freedom from this situation, though I was still clinging on to whatever I could.

The Joker was sighing lowly and muttering to himself next to me, continuously flicking his knife open and closed. He seemed almost disappointed that we hadn't engaged in some sort of conflict, and it soon dawned on me that we weren't so much trying to evade these police officers, but rather only leaving them behind on the basis of practicality. I was sure that my companions in this vehicle would much rather have found entertainment in killing the officers, but the Joker had decided to let them live. I guessed he couldn't let anything affect his grand scheme of his, despite how much he seemed to love the chance to instil some sort of panic whenever he could. For this, I could only feel thankful that these police officers would be spared today.

"_Mmm_ … such a shame," the Joker murmured gutturally, and his tongue darted out to lick around his lips. He sat up straighter from how he had been hunched over a couple of seconds ago, and looked at us. "The _thrill_ of it all_-ah_ … it's what life's _about,"_ he said more casually, causing the men and the girl to nod in agreement. He turned to me. "I'm just trying to show people that, Cora," he said in a reasonable tone of voice, as if he wanted me to show my understanding like everyone else in this van. "Life is so much more exciting when you live to no one else's rules but your own. When you don'_t care_ about what other people think of you."

"Normal people don't find that exciting," I retorted, briefly forgetting that this was the man that had just killed one of his own men without a second glance, "no one thinks like that except for you."

"That's it, sweetheart," he said patronisingly, _"op-pose me,_ because you've been brought up to automatical_-ly_ _believe _that what I'm saying is wrong. I just have an entirely new way of looking at things! People like _familiar,_ because they've been brought up to think that familiar is good, that it works. They have their codes and their rules, but just because something is familiar doesn't mean that it's necessarily right. _That's society for you,"_ he said lowly, his eyes burning into my own. I diverted my gaze, annoyed at myself that I had even shown my attention for this long.

Eyes that weren't the Joker's were boring into my head, and, looking up, I saw that it was the girl, who wore a deadpan expression on her face that suggested she was wondering why I was even living. I sighed, too tired to contemplate her reasons why, and was simply thankful that it was only mere minutes before the van came to a sudden halt, signalling our arrival at our next destination. The Joker had referred to this as 'home'. I wondered with a pang of curiosity whether this was his hideout, and if so, what it was like.

John turned off the engine from the front, climbing out and slamming the door behind him just as Caleb and the girl got to their feet and jumped out of the back. The Joker slid his knife back into his pocket and grabbed my arm.

"Come on, beautiful, out we go!" he said loudly, pulling me out of the van to where the others had gathered around the back of the vehicle. He transferred his grip to my hand as he started dealing out instructions whilst I took the opportunity to hurriedly scan around in the hopes that I could pin-point something in the distance that would provide me with my bearings, but with no success. I was seriously starting to doubt how well I knew my own city. I was relieved to find that we weren't in another alleyway this time, but in a slightly more beat-up looking street, not a single other person in sight. Registering that it was now darker out, I looked up at the sky, seeing that it was the purpley-color that suggested it was nearing evening.

Before I had time to work out how long it had been since the beginning of the nightmarish events of today, I sensed movement and voices from the men and the girl, causing me to look back over at our group and find that they were dispersing in different directions. An uneasy feeling caused my stomach to turn at the realization that the Joker and I were pretty much alone again, which, from what I'd experienced so far, wasn't a good thing at all. Inwardly bracing myself, I hesitantly met his gaze, feeling my heart pick up at the sight of him licking his lips with a mischievous expression on his face. I gulped, suddenly painfully aware of the wounds that were over my body, knowing that these by no means were going to be the last.

"Come on," he said suddenly, and began to pull me in the direction of the building that was situated on the corner of the street. I had no choice but to follow him, knowing it would be futile trying to pry off the death-grip he had on my hand. Plus, I had seen how incredibly easy it was to set off this man's temper; I certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end again. The look in his eyes when he had stopped me from escaping back in the meat locker had been terrifying. I quickly decided that I would try not to set him off like this again unless there truly was no other choice. If I were to survive this, I had to think carefully about my actions. I would have to be sure that when I did try and escape, that I would be able to keep from being caught. I couldn't help the shiver that went down my back as a swarm of scenarios at what would occur if this were to happen flew into my head.

The Joker pulled me through the door of the run-down building. I looked around, and found that we were in a large room, which was longer than it was wide, with surprisingly big windows that allowed a lot of light to stream through despite the years and years' worth of grime that had congealed over the glass and the pieces of cardboard that were patched over them in random places. Judging by the front of the building and this room we were in, it reminded me of a store that had closed down and since became abandoned.

In the five seconds it took for the Joker to pull me across with him to the other end, the leather of his glove burning my hand slightly as I struggled to match the pace of his long legs, I noticed that there was a small television set pushed against the wall, the only piece of furniture in the room. It had been left on, though I didn't have a chance to see what was on the screen before we were in a dark, narrow hallway, going through one of the doors that led off of it into a medium-sized room with a beat-up mattress lying on an old bed frame.

Immediately, I felt my heart begin to hammer against my ribcage. An icy feeling drowned me as the Joker turned to face me, placing his hands on my shoulders and slowly pushing me down into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. I watched as he went over to close the door, the sound of it clicking in place meeting my thrumming ears. Gulping, I tried not to let myself panic, hurriedly going through in my head certain forms of defence I could attempt to do. At no point had I learnt how to defend myself properly, and I suddenly found myself desperately wishing that I had.

The Joker turned back to me, his tongue poking out from between his lips as he made his way back over, and, to my horror, sat down with a 'plop' right next to me, so close that our knees were touching. He seemed to be in a good mood at the moment, judging by the grin I had glimpsed at out of the corner of my eye when he had approached, though I wasn't sure whether this was a sign for me to feel any less petrified or whether to remain as fearful as I was at what could possibly be going through his mind. I settled for the latter, hardly daring to breathe for fear that this would suddenly set him off.

"Cat got your tongue?" he asked, before letting out a small gibber of amusement. I remained silent, practically able to hear my heart beating out of my chest. I could tell he was watching me, probably simply revelling in the fear he had instilled, but as I sat quietly, a thought came into my head. It would end this torturous silence, at least.

"What are you going to do with Brian?" I asked, my voice coming out quieter than I wanted it to. I remembered him being pulled into a white van after we'd exited the building. A surge of pity went through me at the thought that the Joker hadn't finished with him yet.

"Hm? Oh, _him._ He's here, you know," he said, causing my eyes to flash up to him in astonishment. "I had some, ah, guys bring him here. We've got some _fun plans_ to carry out tomorrow, and I want him nice and fresh," he said, giggling. "They involve your dad, you know?"

I had let my eyes fall back to the dusty floorboards at the mention of these 'plans', but upon hearing the last sentence, I immediately looked back up at him, my body shaking a little involuntarily.

"They do?" I asked, my voice hoarse. He nodded, a taciturn expression on his face as he leant back onto his elbows, looking like he was making himself more comfortable as he answered my question.

"Mm-hm. _We're_ gonna pay a little visit to City Hall tomorrow morning. Not so much _inside_, but … well, I don't want to spoil everything for you," he said mischievously, grinning. I watched as he suddenly brought his wrist right up to his eyes so that he could check his watch. I was surprised that he even had a watch. The simple gesture of checking the time seemed almost too _human_ for him to do. It was something my dad did a lot. I shook my head, clearing this from my mind. If I began thinking about him, I wouldn't be able to stop the tears.

"Speaking of which_-ah,"_ said the Joker before he licked his lips, squinting again in a way that one does when they're in deep thought, "I've got some … ah, _loose ends_ I've got to tie up for our _exciting_ day tomorrow," he told me, reminding me of what he had told me back in the van. He pushed himself up from his elbows and leant closer so that his sour breath clouded my nostrils. I resisted the urge to immediately back away on instinct, knowing that he would only put a swift end to these efforts, and simply tried to stop myself from shaking at how close his face was to mine. His clown-like war-paint was beginning to sweat off in places, yet it was no less terrifying.

_"So," _he said lightly, raising his eyebrows, "are you gonna be a good girl and _not_ try and escape while I'm gone? Hm?" he asked, bringing his lips into his mouth to suck on them as he waited for an answer. Though his voice wasn't exactly threatening, it was hard not to miss the dangerous glint in his eyes that assured me of the amount of pain he was sure to inflict if I tried to run away again. I knew I had gotten off lightly last time; next time, there was no doubt in my mind that the punishment I received for disobeying him would be much more severe. If I was caught, that was.

I must have taken too long to show an indication that I understood, because the Joker suddenly grabbed my chin, jerking my face up to him roughly. I held in a whimper at this sudden, painful action, seeing that he had raised his brows even further as if daring me not to respond in the way he wanted. I nodded hurriedly, seeing no other alternative in this situation.

"_Good,"_ he said, bringing his thumb to gently drag down my bottom lip, tracing the cut there slowly in a threatening manner that caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. There was a click, and suddenly he had brought his knife up to move away some of the hair from my face, peering down at the gauzed cut on my forehead that I had completely forgotten about. My pulse quickened, wondering what could possibly be going through his head. Probably what sort of pain he could possibly inflict in the next few seconds.

But to my astonishment, he merely laid a single, rough kiss upon the cut, causing me to wince at the slight twinge of pain it caused and the feeling of his lips against my skin, before he jovially pushed himself off the bed and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

I was left alone, listening to his footsteps as he made his way back down the hall. I let out the breath I had been holding, letting myself fully appreciate the fact that I was still alive.

My chest heaving, I glanced once around the room I had been left in, my brain not really comprehending anything as I relayed in my head what he had hinted at about his plans for tomorrow, and that my dad was somehow involved. I was torn; the thought of possibly seeing my dad caused my heart to leap, yet the reason as to why caused a swarm of emotions to rush through my depleted body.

I wondered what he could possibly be doing right now. Much as it had done in the hospital, a wave of guilt swept over me at what he was probably thinking and feeling at this moment; the overwhelming sense of awfulness that a parent feels when they lose their child, with not the slightest indication as to where they could be. I hurriedly turned my thoughts back to my captor, feeling an onslaught of tears threaten to spill down my cheeks if I spent any longer thinking about my parent.

Still alarmed at what the Joker had implied, yet frustrated at how he could cause such a reaction in me, I scooted further back onto the bed, my mind a whirr of activity. I yawned, and it was then that I began to realize just how tired I was. The adrenaline that had near-constantly surged through my body for the past couple of hours was starting to wear off in this moment of no Joker, the after-effects now becoming apparent to my fatigued body.

I sighed, both out of the need for sleep and the knowledge that this was my first night under the Joker's captivity. Hopefully it would be the last. I curled my body into a protective ball on the worn mattress, finding it hard to close my eyes and allow myself to assume such vulnerability, knowing that my captor, who could easily return to kill me without notice, was in the same building. Forcing these thoughts out of my head, trying to resist the urge to contemplate what these most-likely awful 'plans' for tomorrow could possibly bring, I finally managed to fall into what turned out to be a restless yet much-anticipated sleep, the Joker's crazed laugh rushing around and around again in my head, haunting me even in my dreams.


	8. Demise of a Fellow Captive

**A/N: Thank you so much jamcneill680, thepeachybanyan, Racoon Girl and Cow-Lover2214 for your reviews, follows and/or favourites :) And thank you all of you that have been reading this story! I hope you like this chapter even though there's not much action in it, but this is all leading up to the fundraiser, which I'm really excited to write. I just needed to bring Brian back in again for this one. Please review to tell me what you think, I love hearing your thoughts of this story so far!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from ****_The Dark Knight trilogy_.**** All I own is Cora and any other original characters.**

* * *

When I awoke what felt like hours later, the sound of someone crying tentatively met my ears. Sitting up, I slid off the bed and unsurely made my way over to the door, hesitating for a moment. What if this was some kind of trap? Was the Joker waiting outside, ready to kill me? Shaking my head, I focused in on the sound, the quiet sobbing suddenly causing my heart to still like a cold hand had just wrapped itself around it. Was it someone else like me, kidnapped and now held captive? I strained my ears as I pressed my head against the wall, trying to put the voice to a face. It didn't sound female, though I couldn't be sure. That was when I felt like kicking myself; it was Brian, the man who the Joker had taken and tortured right before my eyes. He was still alive.

Letting out a deep breath, I tried the door handle, pausing when I suddenly found myself peering out into the dark hallway, no one in sight. I made up my mind, hurriedly pulling on my shoes before I could manage to convince myself this was a bad idea. Feeling my heart thudding in my chest, I took the first step that led me out onto the hallway, closing the door behind me before beginning to tread slowly in the direction of the crying.

Even though it was still quite dark, I knew I didn't have a lot of time. I bit my lip when I suddenly stepped on a loose floorboard, a small creak cutting through the stillness. Cursing myself silently, I waited for the sound of footsteps coming in my direction, raspy, angered breathing from around the corner, but no one came. Exhaling shakily, I carried on beside the wall, coming to a corner where I knew to the left was the large room with the television. Straining my ears, I realized that there was something playing. After a moment, it hit me that it was GCN on low volume, recognising the voice of Mike Engel. I wondered if the Joker was in there, watching it. I couldn't picture him sleeping, in a state so human and so vulnerable.

My heart thudding, I went past the corner and carried along down the hallway until I came to a door where the sound of crying was now easier to discern. Looking around, I carefully turned the handle and peeked inside the small, dim room. It appeared to be being used for storage, due to the shelves all around the walls holding boxes and crates. I stopped scanning these, and my eyes fell onto the slumped figure of Brian tied to his seat in the center. What was immediately apparent, and what caused a fresh surge of horror and pity to go through my body, was the red cuts the Joker had made to his cheeks, which had healed slightly, but were nonetheless horrific, giving him that same 'smile' the Joker sported. His face was almost white, indicating how much blood he had lost.

Crushed, it was then that I suddenly caught sight of him slowly opening his sweat-lidded eyes as he registered someone else was now in here. I took in again his weak and helpless body. I racked my brains desperately, searching for anything I could do to help, but I didn't want to admit to myself that only a trained doctor now would be able to save him. I was useless and pretty much pathetic right now, and for a second I asked myself why I had come here, only to be faced with the inevitability of the man I shared a strange kind of bond with due to the circumstances as he lived his final hours.

Brian lifted his head from where it had been lolling backwards, staring. Grabbing more of a hold of myself, I bit my lip and let the first and only possible word that was in my head right now spill out of my mouth.

"Hello." My heart was hammering, my voice sounding stronger than it was. Brian carefully sucked in a breath through clenched teeth.

"Hey," he said back shakily. I took a small step forward, feeling better at the sound of his voice. His eyes flickered to something behind me, and I suddenly realized that he meant the door. I shut it carefully and turned back around to face him. The last thing we needed was the Joker hearing us right now.

"Are you alright?" I asked, realizing only afterwards how stupid this sounded. He nodded.

"I'm managing," he said, quivering. "You?"

"I'm fine," I said, swallowing down the lump in my throat. We were speaking just above whispering-level. Taking in his broken body, I felt a rush of hopelessness go through me. "I'm so sorry for what's happened to you," I said, the words flowing out of me without me even having to think.

He gave his head a small shake. "I knew the risks of what I was doing," he mumbled, his voice still quaking.

"Supporting Batman," I said, and he nodded. I mulled over it silently, wondering whether this man had a family, whether he had people out there looking for him. How long had the Joker kept him hostage like this? I felt my stomach clench at the knowledge that it could have been days, and I couldn't help but wonder where he would be right now if the Joker hadn't taken him.

"Why did you do it?" I finally decided to ask diffidently, knowing that this was probably going through his head too. He inhaled deeply through his nose.

"Because even though he's an outcast," he said a little louder, and I noticed the confidence in his voice, "he still tries to protect people like us from people like _him,"_ he said, glancing at the door briefly. "He's a symbol of hope for us."

I nodded in understanding, a warm sensation entering my chest. It was keeping me going too, the belief that I would somehow either find a way to escape or be rescued. I could be back home again, be with my dad again.

But before I had the chance to reply, there was a loud bang that made us both jump as the door suddenly slammed into the wall behind me. I whirled around in shock and my eyes immediately caught upon the Joker standing in the doorway, his shoulders hunched menacingly. He was grinning, his eyes flickering between us as if he was figuring out the nature of the conversation we had been having.

_"Welll,"_ he drawled, baring his yellow teeth in a sneer. _"This_ looks cosy."

My heart was speeding, my hands shaking so badly I felt like I'd been given a shot of something, my body completely useless right now. I heard my breathing getting faster as he stepped fully into the room, taking over the small space with his tall body. I forced my eyes to stay staring back at him as his gaze rested on me.

"I don't remember giving you permission to leave your room," he said seriously, and a choking sound came out of my throat as he took another step in my direction, forcing me backwards into the shelves behind me in an attempt to put some distance between us. He brought his lips into his mouth, raising his eyebrows.

"I went to look around," I said, my heart pounding. "I wasn't going to go far." It was true. Yes, if the opportunity to escape had presented itself, I would have embraced it with open arms, but to find a means of running away hadn't been my intention surprisingly enough. I would have to wait for that time.

"Didn't your _parents_ ever tell you not to wander off?" said the Joker. "It can be _dang-er-ous, _ya see. There are a lot of psychos out there, you know! Wouldn't want you getting mixed up in all _that-ahh."_

It was then that his hand suddenly shot out and grabbed me by the wrist, yanking me closer to him so that he was staring directly down at me. My legs shook at the dark expression on his face.

"I could get you a bell ... hm?" he said gently, and he leaned closer so that we were almost nose to nose. I felt sick, shivering at the soft tone of his voice that I knew was just a mask for his anger right now. "People put them on cats so that they know exactly where they are. So that they know if something of theirs is somewhere it shouldn't _be."_

"I wasn't trying to leave," I told him helplessly. I felt angry that he saw me as one of his possessions. But this was coming from a psychopath, after all.

The Joker stared down at me, his fingers suddenly tightening around my wrist. I felt the excruciating pain of my bones constricting.

"Get off me!" I shouted, desperately trying to pull myself out of his grip just as a voice from behind me sounded.

"Let her go!"

It was Brian. My heart sank in my chest, and I watched powerlessly as the Joker cocked his head in his direction. He had an irritated look on his face, his eyes flickering over him as he stared at him with an evil glint in his eye.

"Please, no," I whispered, causing him to look back at me. He simply stared for a moment, looking like his brain was ticking. He licked his lips.

"KIMBERLY!" he suddenly shouted, and I jumped, that demonic voice from before causing my heart to start pounding even more crazily. It was a couple of seconds later that the girl who had joined us on our little escapades appeared in the doorway, looking like she had been running.

"Yeah, Boss?" she asked, quickly casting an eye over the scene. The Joker was looking at me in a way that caused my pulse to quicken.

"Take Cora outside-_ahh,"_ he said, taking hold of me by the shoulders and pushing me over to the doorway. He bent his head down to mine. "I'll be out in a minute," he said into my ear. "I've got something I need to take care of first."

My eyes widened, looking back at him in horror, nausea rising in my throat. Out of the corner of my eye, Brian was shaking. Suddenly I felt myself being dragged out of the room and down the hall. I felt tears fill my eyes as my feet carried me through the door and onto the sidewalk.

"What is he going to do?" I asked, but I was sure I already knew. She sighed.

"What do you think?" she replied irritably. I found myself surprised at her tone; it was much different from how she'd talked about him earlier on during the journey to the meat locker. I'd half-expected her to poke fun again, but right now she looked almost weary as she glanced around us, avoiding my gaze. I wondered whether she was as secretly upset as I was.

The two of us stood for an awkward minute before we both turned to see the Joker approaching us, the malicious grin on his face widening when his eyes rested on me. My stomach knotted, feeling immediately sick, and I quickly looked away without thinking to see Caleb, John, and another man who I hadn't seen before exiting the building after him. He and John were carrying Brian's now lifeless body. I managed to hold myself together as they made their way over to the back of a white van and loaded him inside.

"Is everything ready?" the Joker asked Caleb, who quickly did a once-over of everything in the back of both vans.

"Yeah, Boss," he said, causing the Joker to grin widely as he turned in the direction of the white van, where the man I didn't have a name for was standing. There was someone else sitting in the driver's seat, leaning out of the window.

"Go ahead and get things ready. Oh, and try and make sure you don't mess anything _up," _he told them seriously. The men nodded, sharing uneasy glances with each other before they jumped into action. I decided that I would find out soon enough what this all meant, and simply watched as they hastily drove off down the street. The Joker turned back to the others.

"Johnnie-boy, you're with me in the front," he said, giving me another glance before going over to climb into the driver's seat.

Kimberly grabbed my arm and started pulling me to the back of the van. With no choice but to do as I was told for now, I climbed into the van, Kimberly pulling me around so that I was sitting on her side that wasn't next to the doors. Holding in a sigh at this, I saw Caleb hop up as well, closing the doors and sitting on the seat opposite just as the engine whirred to life and we were soon zooming down the street in the same direction as the other van.

The drive was as breakneck as last time, spinning around corners and accelerating so fast I felt my stomach lurch. The Joker was giggling as he steered us, and a couple of times I felt his eyes meet mine at the back through the rear-view mirror before diverting back to the road, my heart pounding a little each time. He growled in approval when suddenly he lowered his tinted window halfway to let the wind whoosh into the van, causing everyone in the van's hair to whip around their faces.

"You hear that? You feel that _rush?"_ he asked as he leant out of the window slightly, and Kimberly nodded enthusiastically when he turned to look back over at us. "This is the _only_ way to live ... at a hundred miles an _hour." _His eyes grew intense as he looked at me for a split second before turning back to the road. I let out a small shaky breath, my head spinning.

It was five minutes later that we started to slow down. Trying to see through the front, I saw that we'd left the run-down, less populated area of the city where the hideout was located, and we were now in the busier, more central parts of Gotham, forcing us to become more inconspicuous to blend in with the early-morning traffic. I felt a little more relaxed, feeling us crawl forwards in the congested roads.

After a moment or so we came to a slow stop, feeling like we'd reached a red light. The Joker was listening to the radio, a tangle of voices meeting my ears. Suddenly he reached forward to turn up the volume.

"_Oo, _now _this_ sounds interesting," he said, and I suddenly felt my body tense up as the sound of my name used by the man on the news station met my ears.

"… _the police have launched a full investigation into this abduction, and urge that if anyone has any information regarding her whereabouts that they ring the Gotham City Police Department as soon as possible. _

_We must also emphasize the potential danger here, and we stress that all callers will remain anonymous for their own safety; it is believed, as supported by several pieces of evidence, that the criminal the Joker, who has orchestrated numerous homicides and robberies in past months, including the robbery at Gotham National Bank a week ago, is behind this kidnapping. _

_Mayor Garcia has issued a desperate plea for his daughter's safe return, as do we all …"_

I listened to the rest of the report, feeling numb. The fact that I was on the news, and that people were looking for me, made the situation all the more real. I really was in a car with the Joker, shoulder to shoulder with a group of people I had never met in my life and probably would never have met if this hadn't happened, all of us thrown together by one psychopath. I shook my head, feeling my thoughts turn onto my dad. I couldn't think about him now.

The van suddenly made one last turn before bringing us to a halt a few seconds later. Everyone immediately climbed out, Kimberly grabbing my arm to pull me out with her. It didn't look likely that I would get to miss out on the fun.

A thought suddenly struck me as we all stepped onto the sidewalk. Remembering what the Joker had told me yesterday about what he had in store for today, I quickly looked around me and felt an icy feeling rush through me at the realization that we were around the back of City Hall. I let out a shaky breath of air, the fact that my dad was probably in this building right now causing the blood to pound in my ears.

I looked around, suddenly catching sight of the white van from before parked nearby. It was then that I felt hands suddenly rest on my shoulders, causing a shiver to go down my spine as I comprehended who was standing behind me.

"I told you before, sweetheart," the Joker said into my ear, "these _civilised people,_ their worlds are gonna be shaken up just a little."


	9. Up in the Heights

_**A/N: Thank you jamcneill680, Cow-Lover2214, Suki. Fictionist, Newgeminis, rosieali, Kiiwwwwiii, aegyomc, RuariRedHead and HannahDanyelle for your reviews and/or follows/favourites and also to everyone that has been reading this story, you're all brilliant! :) I wanted to put this chapter up sooner, but I didn't get much time to write this week: one of the main reasons being I went to go and see the whole of **_**The Dark Knight trilogy**_** in this amazing little cinema, which I'm still buzzing from haha. I hope you enjoy chapter nine! :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy.**_** All I own is Cora and any other original characters.**_

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A shiver went down my spine, the sensation of his raspy breath on my skin tickling my neck. I tried not to let my face give me away as he lowered his head further down to be almost level with mine, and the sour odour of his mouth clouded my nose.

"You _remember,_ Cor_-ah." _He was playing with my name again. His head was bent nearly completely over mine now, the ends of his greasy hair almost touching. "The state between chaos and order is _so …_ _fragileee."_

I heard him lick his lips, feeling like I was about to puke as the hands that were clenched around the tops of my arms began to squeeze. I scrunched my eyes shut, feeling my body starting to shake with the tension until finally he suddenly released me and stepped away.

I brought my hands up unsteadily to rub at my arms, feeling the blood rushing back. Limbs tingling, I looked up to see him pluck out and grab from the air something small and that caught the glint of the grey morning light.

"This, my dear," he said as he started to pace back and forth in front of me, "is going to be broadcasted all across _Gotham._ All me and my boys have to do now is deliver it."

I looked closer, already realizing what it was: Brian's videotape. I felt my stomach clench at the memory, forcing my brain not to remember.

"And how are you going to do that?" I asked plainly.

"Ah-ah-ah – can't ruin the _surprise,"_ he replied, showing each of his yellow teeth. He slid the tape back into his coat, but before I could even begin to feel a sense of relief at this fact, he had already pulled a small gun out from another pocket.

"Oh, you don't need to worry your pretty little head," he told me as I stared back up at him, feeling like my legs had turned to jelly. "But, we have got a _very_ precise schedule to keep here, darlin', which _meeeans_ –" he brought the gun up to rest on the side of my forehead, and the world around me froze, "if you pull any little stunts, I'll shoot you. Okay, beautiful?"

He raised his eyebrows, sucking on his lips. I nodded, knowing I didn't have any other choice. The gun was cold on my temple, and I couldn't help but wonder how many others had been like this before me, had had this gun pointed at them too? My vision was just starting to lose its focus when the Joker smiled widely again, taking the gun and tucking it back into his outside pocket.

"See? If only all deals were as simple. It makes me happy when we _agree."_ He gave me a wink, before grabbing my wrist and yanking me beside him. "It always pays to be clever. Like _me,"_ he said happily.

Avoiding his eyes, I hastily took the opportunity to try and work out exactly what was going on here, breathing shakily. Glancing around for a split second, I tried to make sense of the familiar figures of the Joker's cronies, both around us and stationing themselves further down the street. Ready to take care of anyone who came this way whilst the Joker was still around.

Abruptly pulling me from my thoughts, I felt a harsh tug on my hand that almost yanked it out of place as the Joker started dragging me behind him. Biting my tongue, I forced my shaky legs to keep up as we made our way to what I saw was a tall building almost diagonal to City Hall, with lots of windows.

Reaching the entrance, we went through a set of glass doors I was surprised were even open and into a sparse foyer that didn't look like it had held any people for weeks. Without stopping, the Joker headed towards the side of the room where I realized there was an elevator. I felt the grip on my hand get tighter as my body held itself back, instinct telling me this was not a good idea at all.

"Oh, come on, come on, we can't dilly-dally!" he said, continuing to pull me along with him harshly.

"What are we doing?" I asked, hoping to get some answers this time, but he simply gave me a look that said it wouldn't be long until I found out.

He stabbed the button on the wall, and the doors opened after a couple of seconds. I had to stifle a scream at what I saw slumped against the far wall, a body in a janitor's uniform. I gagged as I took in the blank look on his face, the puddle of blood pooling over his chest where he had clearly been shot.

The Joker didn't say anything, instead wrapping an arm around my waist and simply going straight in. Pulled into the corner alongside him, I tried not to disturb the man's body. My eyes were burning, and I had to secretly blink the tears away, scared to draw any attention. It looked like it couldn't have been more than ten minutes since he had lost his life. My heart imploded in my chest, breaking.

"Floor ten, Boss," I barely heard John say over my head. We both froze when after a few seconds the Joker tilted his head in his direction.

"I _know,"_ he said lowly, coming out more like a growl.

John didn't say anything else, keeping his gaze ahead. I bit my lip too, feeling the blood pounding in my ears.

It couldn't have taken more than twenty seconds for the elevator to arrive at our floor, but inside that small metal room the tension was thick. It was hard to breathe – gazing down sadly, the janitor's blood had made a dark, crimson puddle on the ground, and also, I knew now that the Joker could snap at any second. It was mental torture at its finest.

My stomach was wringing itself into a tight knot when I suddenly felt a weird feeling down on my side. I realized with both disgust and horror that the Joker was chafing his thumb against my ribs.

I took a deep but subtle breath, trying not to let the edge show. To speak now would be to dance with death.

I hastily looked for something I could focus on to keep my mind occupied, just as a thought suddenly occurred to me. My ribs felt a lot more pronounced than usual, and it struck me that I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday morning at least. My stomach threatened to growl on cue, and I realized I was running on empty. I pushed my mind back to the situation at-hand, consciously feeling a whole lot weaker than I did a couple of minutes ago. My body wasn't going to last forever.

I let out the breath I was holding as the ding of the elevator sounded and the doors slid open. The Joker pulled me out with him onto the landing, and almost immediately one of the men who had driven here before us appeared from around the corner.

"Everything's all set to go," he said simply. We went with him down a corridor and into a large room with some more of his cronies that didn't have any furniture, light streaming through the large windows that faced the street. One of them had been smashed, pieces of glass littering the floor.

I looked up to see a cable leading from the ceiling across the void of the road down below to the roof of what I knew was City Hall. Things seemed to freeze then, a cold breeze rushing through the broken window and ruffling my clothes. Brian's body was lying on the ground, surrounded my pieces of equipment.

"Well done, my little clowns," the Joker said to his cronies, releasing me to clap his hands together. "Keep an eye on the stairs," he said to a couple of them, and they quickly went back down the hall. I listened to their footsteps as he suddenly glanced at John, and almost immediately I felt his bulky figure step behind me, barring me from the exit. I wanted to roll my eyes, feeling like I was being babysat, constantly someone that was being watched.

"See," I heard the Joker say to the men, "I would have asked you to do this yourselves, but if you want something done _right,_ you've _gotta_ do it yourself." He went over to Brian's body, kneeling down with one of his cronies.

He brought him up by the front as the Joker quickly brought out two small cans of paint from his coat. I could hear his raspy breathing as he opened the first one and dipped his fingers into it, and let out a small gasp as he began roughly smearing the white paint around Brian's face.

The knot in my stomach tightened as he opened the second can, and before long he was tracing a bloody-red smile across Brian's mouth on top of the scars he had made yesterday that were now opening up again. Bile rose in my throat, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. I focused my gaze to my right on a patch of floor, staring at it so hard my eyes blurred.

A couple of seconds later I heard the sounds of his coat rustling, and I looked back to see the Joker take out the tape from his pocket. He carefully inserted it behind the hockey pads, tapping it once before getting up.

He glanced around the room for a moment, his eyes catching mine, before he suddenly started to walk over to me. I tried to stop myself from shaking at the feel of his gaze on me as he quickly took something else out from his coat. Puzzled, I realized it was a playing card, and as it came more into view, I saw the picture of a joker on the front.

"Know what's on here?" he asked. He held it up in front of me, and across the surface I suddenly saw a small message:**_'WILL THE REAL BATMAN PLEASE STAND UP?'_**

"No guesses? It's _D-N-A, _a couple of fingerprints for three people. One set for Judge Surillo, one for Commissioner Loeb, and one for Gotham's _white knight,_ District Attorney Harvey Dent-_ah." _

He let out a wheezy laugh that chilled my entire body. I frowned, deciding to voice what had me the most stumped.

"How did you get them?" I said, trying to look unfazed.

"Oh, just from a couple of little buddies working alongside them," he replied casually. "You know, you can trust _anyone_ these days."

I felt my brain click. So there were police officers and people in the courthouse that were working for the Joker. I decided to see if I could push my luck any further.

"Well, why do you need their fingerprints? What're you going to do?" I asked cautiously.

"These are the people my men and I are gonna be paying little visits to," he replied more menacingly now. "But you know what I think? _You can't drop by on someone without a little noticce!"_

He broke out into a laugh, wheezing again as he bent over with cackles. On-edge, I watched him cautiously until he finally turned and headed back over to Brian's body, stooping down to pin the card to the front of the suit. He got back to his feet and surveyed everything with an evil glint in his eye before looking to the cronies that had gotten here before us.

"You know the _drill._ Only drop him when you get the call," he said, whilst I tried to figure out what he meant. "We don't want the, ah ... _effect_ ... wasted because he wasn't in his office."

"Of course, Boss," one of them said. "We'll take it from here."

The man nearest to us bent down and grabbed a pile of harnesses from the floor. I unconsciously took a step backwards as they began attaching a set both to Brian's body and to their gear bag. They then clipped them both to the cable above our heads, and within seconds and a push off from the ledge they were quickly travelling to the roof of City Hall.

I watched with intrigue as their small figures unclipped themselves, seizing Brian's body and their bag and dragging them over to the side of the roof. Whether it was because of how crazy the situation was right now or something else entirely, I had no idea, but it still wasn't clear what they were about to do. But when I saw them pull out a rope that was tied into a noose and loop it around Brian's neck, rolling him up to the edge as one of them tied the end of it to an air vent, it soon hit me. I felt sick.

It took a couple of seconds for me to realize that someone was watching me, and, glancing to my left, I saw the Joker's head turned in my direction. I vaguely felt my heart pick up speed, stepping backwards a few steps at the look in his eyes before he grabbed me by the side of my face and yanked me close to him. I stifled a gasp as I heard the click of his knife, and the cold metal being brought to my cheek.

"Time for a little bit of fun," he said lowly, grinning. I gulped, fear completely incapacitating my body. From the look in his eyes, he was hungry for something, and all I could do was silently pray that this would extinguish.


	10. Shock Tactics

_**A/N: Thank you everyone that has been reading, as well as Suki. Fictionist, jamcneill680, arthedain-x, linnie kinda spinnie, Cow-Lover2214, Wild-hime, Blue Wolf29, Kosongbird, kaylayingling, nachobeats823, nightxxxlover, Cosue, GeorgiaaGirl, hilal. melek. 50, and prunesquallor for reviewing, adding this story to their story alerts and/or adding it to their favourite stories list! You're all amazing! (Btw, I'm sorry if I've separated your name if there's a full-stop in the middle, the site won't let me write them otherwise for some reason). We get a little more intense in this chapter, but it had to be done, haha. I hope you enjoy, please review to tell me what you think! :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy.**_** All I own is Cora and any other original characters.**_

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The drive back to the hideout couldn't have taken more than twenty minutes: but in my mind, it took a lot longer. The Joker sat next to me throughout the journey, after roughly pulling me out of that building and into the van, the other three hastily joining us. We couldn't hang around here for long, I realized; things were getting busier by the minute as it neared noon. Plus it wouldn't be too long before someone noticed the zip wire that ended on the roof of City Hall.

I could feel the Joker's eyes on me as we drove, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end and my heart to slam against my chest at what this "fun" he had mentioned could possibly involve, unable to turn my mind onto anything else. From what I'd experienced so far, it couldn't be good, and this thought alone caused me more fear than I had ever felt before at the knowledge that the Joker could inflict whatever he wanted once we made it back.

This only worsened when I felt the Joker's arm slide around the top of my shoulders, chafing my arm with the backs of his fingers, causing goosebumps to form where he made contact with my skin. What was he going to do to me?

I was now being pulled through the hallway of the derelict store building we had left just an hour and a half ago, the Joker's fingers forming bruises on my wrist with the force he was pulling me along with. As soon as we'd parked up, the Joker had dragged me out of the van, leaving his goons with knowing expressions on their faces as they carried out the instructions they had been given during the drive. Kimberly watched us disappear into the building with a blank expression on her face as she unloaded the van, our eyes meeting for a moment before I couldn't see her or the others anymore. There was a part of me that silently begged them to help me, but what could they do? Plus there was no way I was worth them putting themselves in danger for.

I was shaking as the Joker opened the door to the room he had left me in last night, leaving me to stand near the bed so that he could close it behind him. I quickly glanced at the small window opposite the door, my heart slamming against my ribcage at the knowledge that there was no escaping this room. I gulped, feeling angry and fearful tears blur my vision for a moment before blinking them away, not wanting to break down in front of him. The Joker turned to face me, his menacing figure closing the meter's distance between us as he took out his pocketknife.

"I hope you enjoyed that … little _trip,"_ he said through a dark grin as he stepped closer to me, pointing the tip of his knife at me for a moment. "I told you today was gonna be exciting, and that was just the _be-gin-ning._ Tonight's gonna be even more fun," he told me, grabbing the side of my face and bringing his knife up to my cheek, much like he had done just twenty minutes ago in the office building. "We're going to a little _party._ And you, my dear," he continued, "are going to be my date."

I gulped at this prospect. A_ party?_ He grinned ominously, and my skin crawled as different scenarios of what could happen tonight entered my head, the thought that I would be alive to see it only bringing me a faint sense of relief. The look of unease that I was sure I was sporting as I mulled over this must have increased, because a look of mock-concern crossed his face.

"Oh, you don't need to be nervous!" he said, as if this would genuinely calm me down. He brought his face a little closer. "It's gonna be a _blast,"_ he said gutturally, causing an involuntary shiver to run down my back, wincing as the blade of his knife suddenly nicked my cheek with the movement. I felt a drop of blood ooze from the cut, and the Joker's eyes broke away from mine to flicker down to it, licking his lips as he watched it form.

"What kind of party?" I asked shakily, anxious to take his attention away from the cut for fear that this would suddenly inspire some kind of bloodthirsty reaction in him. The last thing I needed was him debating whether to injure me further. His eyes immediately snapped up to mine at my question, and I had to stifle a gasp at the darkness that was exuding from them.

"A fundraiser, doll," he explained, "where _all_ of Gotham's _high-society peop-le_ come together to support a _good cause-ah," _he said sarcastically, grinning darkly, "when really it's just to show everyone how much _cash_ they're prepared to throw away!"

He nodded gleefully and smacked his lips, his grip tightening on my face. "And you know who the man of the hour is gonna be? _Harvey Dent," _he told me lowly, his lips tugging up at the corners to form a sickening grin as a sense of hopelessness filled my body. Though I didn't know Harvey that well, only really knowing as much about him as was revealed through the city's media, it still brought me great despair to hear that he was now one of the Joker's targets, and so were Judge Surillo and Commissioner Loeb, I realized dismally.

"You see," said the Joker, giving my face a little shake as his tongue darted out to lick his lips again, "I've given Batman a _choice._ He either turns himself _in_, _or,_ he lets more and more people _die,"_ he said in a reasonable tone of voice, sucking on his lips as his dark eyes bored into my own. "Chaos will overcome us all eventually, Cor_a._ I'm just speeding up the _process-ah._ Who knows, maybe Batman'll turn up to this fundraiser tonight! I'm just _dying_ to get to know the man behind the mask," he said huskily, before suddenly breaking out into one of those chilling laughs of his that caused my blood to go cold at the sound. It was almost a conditioned response now.

I hurriedly turned my mind to Batman in an attempt to keep my sanity, my heart leaping a little at the prospect that he could appear tonight. The thought of him perhaps finally putting an end to the Joker's scheme that I still couldn't figure out for myself, and taking me from this madman's clutches after a day and a half of captivity brought me a small beacon of hope. Could I really have a chance to escape tonight?

"He won't let you hurt Harvey," I said once the Joker had settled down a little, deciding to take a risk. "He'll stop you."

"It's always a possibility, sweetheart!" the Joker replied gleefully, and I stared up at him in confusion. His knife was still resting warningly against my cheek, and I had to battle against every instinct in my body that was telling me to simply get away from this man.

"That's what's so exciting, doll," he explained, gesturing with his free hand, "the _not knowing_ what will happen. The Batman could show up tonight and put me behind _bars._ There's no fun in living … _safely,"_ he said, as if this word was unappealing. "You've got to embrace what comes with living life dangerously," he ended, grinning.

I couldn't help but quickly mull over this for a second, trying not to let him see by giving him a steely look. Didn't he care what happened to him at all? Was he that far removed from any sense of humanity that he had no ounce of self-preservation instinct at all, the very thing that I near-constantly seemed to be basing every decision off of this past day?

But before I had the chance to think more into this, any thought that was in my head disappeared when I suddenly felt a pair of scarred lips connect roughly with my own, my body completely incapacitated for a second with shock at what was currently unfolding. Revolted, feeling him exhale roughly through his nose as he kept us forcefully attached, I began to push fiercely against him in an attempt to remove him from my body, but much to my alarm, I could barely get him to move a fraction of an inch. My heart slamming against my ribs, my lungs depleting of air, I quickly chose the alternative, more forceful path of action to take that had filled my mind, bringing up my knee and jamming it with as much force as I could into his crotch.

The Joker's lips immediately detached as he let out a grunt, backing away a step as he doubled over in what I could only assume was pain. I watched him as I tried to regain my breath, feeling more indignation bubble up in my chest at the sight of the grin on his face as he straightened up and stared back at me in amusement.

"I _love_ that," he growled, stepping closer again. I backed away, trying not to look as frightened as I felt, feeling my back hit the wall behind me. "Y'know what I noticed? Everybody has something that brings out that fight in them," he explained whilst gesturing animatedly, his grin lessening a little as he took the step that brought him just inches away from me again. I glared back up at him, hoping that he wasn't going to attempt the same thing again.

"That drives them absolutely _cra-a-azy,"_ he said huskily as he lowered his head again.

Exhaling shakily, I immediately ducked my head away from him, and, without fully weighing up what I was about to do, I kicked him in the shin, willing my legs to run as fast as they could to the door behind him. My efforts were short-lived however as I was suddenly grabbed around the waist and yanked backwards onto the ground so that I landed with a harsh thud, a jolt of pain registering in my head and the side of my body. Before I could crawl away, the Joker immediately climbed on top of me so that he was now sitting on my stomach, stopping me from going anywhere. Breathing heavily, he let out an exhilarated giggle, grinning down at me.

"Oh, you're just too entertaining, Cora!" he cried, smiling for a moment before a darker look crossed his features, causing my already racing heart to pound even more intensely against my ribcage as he leant forward, bringing his knife so that it was in clear view.

"Now for the _real_ fun," he said, taking hold of my right arm and pinning it painfully under his knee just as he suddenly grabbed my left. I froze as he pushed up the sleeve of my t-shirt so that all of my arm was exposed. I wriggled fiercely again just as I both heard and felt him growl a little, my breath hitching as I realized what it was he was about to do.

"Perfect," he said under his breath. I started shaking at the hungry look in his eyes.

But before I could try and say or do anything that I already knew wouldn't stop him, I suddenly felt the knife dig into my skin and a scream ripped itself through my throat as my body started to twist in agony. My eyes scrunched shut, tears escaping down my cheeks as the blade dragged itself down, slicing through my skin.

I couldn't focus on anything else but the metal in my flesh. I lost all sense of time, the torture seeming like it was never-ending, until finally I felt the knife leave my skin. I could feel something wet seeping down my elbow, and I realized that it was blood.

Nausea gripping hold of my useless body, feeling the Joker's gaze boring into me but not having the energy nor the will to interpret the expression on his face, I glanced over at the wound. Sobs still shook my body faintly as I took in the three-inch-long cut that now adorned my arm, the blood glistening in my blurred vision.

I vaguely sensed the Joker lean down then, his face becoming less and less distinct as everything that had happened these last twenty-four hours or so caught up with me, the pain in my arm becoming more and more easy to ignore as a new kind of unconsciousness I had only ever felt once before surrounded me, the kind that didn't come with sleep.

"Something to always remember me by," I heard him say, just as my vision faded to black.

* * *

In his office, Mayor Garcia was sitting at his desk, leaning back in his chair in disbelief at the three men that had joined him: Harvey Dent, Lieutenant Gordon, and Commissioner Loeb. The Mob trials had just come to a close, and though on first glance the outcome could be considered an amazing triumph against the injustice that had been allowed to thrive in Gotham city, there was a swarm of feelings and emotions that were running high in the room.

The night that had just passed for him had been a sleepless one, spent worrying relentlessly about the current whereabouts and the safety of his daughter, who had rarely left his mind even for a moment. He was her father; it was his job to protect her, and he'd failed to do that. The incident that had landed her in hospital shouldn't even have happened, and now seemed part of another existence entirely in the shadow of what had occurred. The hatred that he felt towards the man that had done this, whose picture from the surveillance footage taken during the robbery at Gotham National Bank was scorched into the forefront of his mind, never seemed to fade.

Focusing his attention back onto the men in his office, he reluctantly let his mind fill with details of the trial that had just concluded.

"Five hundred and forty-nine criminals at once – how did you convince Surillo to hear this farce?" he asked them, still unable to believe that the woman would accept something like this, despite her moral standing.

"She shares my enthusiasm for justice," said Harvey with that calm, confidence-inspiring demeanour of his. "After all, she is a judge," he added.

"Well even if you blow enough smoke to get convictions out of Surillo, you're gonna set a new record at appeals for quickest kick-in-the-ass," he replied.

"It won't matter," began Harvey, "the head guys make bail, sure, but the mid-level guys, they can't. They can't afford to be off the streets long enough for trial and appeal, they'll cut deals that include some jail time. Think of all you could do with eighteen months of clean streets," Harvey said, looking him straight in the eye as his head filled with this very image. _Not clean enough,_ he thought bitterly for a moment, but the sound of Loeb's voice from next to him brought him back to the situation at hand.

"Mr. Mayor," the Police Commissioner began, "you can't –"

"Get out," he said as evenly as he could, cutting him off, "both of you."

There was a pause as he sensed Loeb and Gordon both reluctantly begin to leave his office, keeping his gaze on Harvey in front of him as he deliberated how he was going to put what he was about to say. Loeb, when he passed the desk, suddenly turned back to him.

"Oh … there's no news yet, sir, of your daughter," he said ruefully, causing him to nod in response and a pained look to cross his face, lowering his gaze as the two men quietly exited the room. On doing this, he caught sight of the picture of his daughter he kept to the right of his desk. He allowed himself to briefly glance at her smiling, dark eyes, full of light, before he returned his attention to Harvey, who was watching him sympathetically.

"Sit down," he said, gesturing at the seat in front of his desk. He got to his feet as Harvey sat down. "The public likes you," he told him, "that's the only reason why this might fly. But that means it's on you. They're all gonna come after you now," he explained, "and not just the Mob. Politicians, journalists, cops," he said, grinning a little at the man before him. "Anyone whose wallet's about to get lighter. Are you up to it?" he asked. He could see the glint of goodness that was in Harvey's eyes, the very thing that set him apart as one of the most good and just men he had ever come across.

"You'd better be," he said as he turned away from the blond-haired man in front of him, going over to the window behind him that overlooked the street. "Because they get _anything_ on you, and those criminals are back on the streets, followed swiftly by you and me."

It was then that he sustained what was probably one of the worst shocks of his life, causing him to hiss "Jesus!" and stumble away just as the body of a man in Batman garb collided with a _bang_ with his window, his face, he saw in the split second before he was forced backwards, was daubed with the white and red face paint that resembled his daughter's abductor.


	11. A Sudden Rage

_**A/N: I'm so sorry about the late update, I went on holiday last week and it took me a couple of days to get back in the swing of the story again. But anyway, this is a massive thank-you to Cow-Lover2214, jamcneill680, Suki. Fictionist, nightxxxlover, Delenaluver, Guest, rosieali, noemi. riddl3, mingming8, and hulouhoop for reviewing, following this story and/or adding it to their favourite stories list! :D And thank all you guys that have been reading, all of you are absolutely brilliant! I hope you enjoy this chapter even though there's not much action but next we have the fundraiser where there definitely will be, hehe! :D Please review to tell me what you think, I love hearing your thoughts on this story and how I can improve :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy.**_** All I own is Cora and any other original characters :)**_

* * *

I woke with a small groan, prying open my eyes as the last dredges of sleep left my depleted body. The room around me was dark and still. Grimacing, I slowly pulled myself up into a sitting position, my limbs protesting with the action as I suddenly began to register the pain that was currently launching an assault on my senses. It took me a moment to realize that instead of the floorboards I had vaguely felt beneath my back when I had blacked out, I was now laying on the mattress that served as my bed.

Shaking my head, trying to force my brain out of its sluggish cloud, I suddenly began to register a sharp stinging in my left arm. Grazing my fingers over it to investigate, unable to see too well in the low light of the room, a cold feeling overtook my body as the memory re-entered my mind: the Joker's sickly grin as he mutilated me.

Blinking fiercely to rid my head of it, I looked around at my dim surroundings. How long had I been unconscious? It had to have been hours, I realized, judging by the weak light that managed to pierce through the small window, the sound of a lone vehicle as it disappeared down a nearby street meeting my ears. I could imagine the sky being the same purpley-color I had seen yesterday when we had arrived here for the first time from the meat locker.

Pushing away the automatic memories that filled my head at the thought of that place, I vaguely felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I realized that I had been utterly defenceless for what must have been no less than ten straight hours or so, unable to even attempt to protect myself against the man who had carved into my arm and caused me to black out, my heart giving a feeble pang in response to the fear it instilled even now. I suppressed the part of me that wanted to simply curl up and not have to face another episode of the madness I had been plunged in the midst of. I still had to work out why. I began to sift back through my brain to the news report I had caught a minute of in the van on the way to City Hall earlier today. There was nothing about a ransom of any kind that the Joker could have put forward for my return, despite the fact that by that point it was the morning after my abduction, almost a whole day after. This was what I found the most troubling. If the Joker wasn't demanding anything for me, besides the attention he was currently receiving, why exactly had he taken me in the first place? What was his ulterior motive?

Unable to come up with an answer, I cleared my head and began to focus on the pain that was currently circulating through my body, a dull throbbing in places signalling the presence of bruises. Some were from yesterday and some were from this morning, suddenly remembering the Joker throwing me down onto the floor when I had tried to escape again. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, the dismal state my body was in was now clear in this moment of calm. Knowing that I had to take advantage of these seconds of solitude before they inevitably came to an end, I began to assess the state of the damage, now seeming as good a chance as any to do so. Bracing myself a little, deciding that sooner was better than later, I looked down at the arm the Joker had carved into, my mouth dropping open slightly at the sight of the deep cut that ran through my flesh, the skin around it a worrying color beneath the crusty layer of congealed blood. Subconsciously running my tongue over the cut he had also delivered to my bottom lip, I was thankful that it had already begun to heal a little, praying silently that he didn't have plans to do the same to anywhere else on my body. I was going to have to keep my head down for the next few hours, at least. I certainly didn't want to weaken the already thin ice I was skating on.

My head immediately whipped up as the door to the hallway was pushed open slightly and a man who I had never seen before stepped inside. He had dark hair, and pasty, pale skin that probably resembled my own at this moment in time. My heart still thrumming as I debated whether or not to be on-edge, I took in the man's brown, beady eyes that suddenly caught my own from where I sat on the bed, a sickly grin stretching across his face. A shiver ran down my back as he closed the door and came over to me, sitting down on the mattress by my feet, causing me to pull them back so I could cross them. It was only when he held something out to me that I realized he had been holding something when he had entered the room. I hesitantly lowered my gaze from his to see that it was a paper bag, which by the mouth-watering scent that suddenly met my nose, could only contain fast-food of some kind.

I hadn't eaten at all since I had been with the Joker, my body in a completely weakened state. I guessed the Joker wouldn't want it any other way. Not yet coming to a decision as to what to do, I reached forward and took the food from him.

"Thank you," I said, meeting his eyes again for a moment before immediately dropping them back down to my hands, still on-edge at the nervous, erratic energy he was exuding. He smiled and nodded before swallowing strongly, his throat convulsing in a way that caused my heart to race even more.

"The Joker thought you might be a little hungry," he said in a strained voice, as if he was trying to reign something in. I nodded mutely, a sarcastic comment going through my head in response to these words, but I decided not to voice it. The hairs were prickling on the back of my neck, unable to stop myself from taking in the sheen of sweat that was covering the man's face, which had been apparent since he had appeared. I couldn't make up my mind whether this man was harmless, though if he was working for the Joker in some way, I could only assume that he wasn't the safest person to be around right now. I was caught off-guard when he spoke again.

"My name is Thomas," he told me, immediately closing his lips as if he had said something wrong.

"My name is Cora," I replied, smiling a little. Perhaps he was just someone who was constantly nervous, which wasn't hard with the Joker in the same building. The thought that he could be an ex-patient at Arkham asylum entered my head, remembering how most of them had escaped a year ago on the night of the fear gas.

I shivered a little, pushing this out of my head. It still caused my spine to tingle even now. A small grin tugged up the corners of his lips, just as the sound of the door suddenly colliding with a bang against the wall caused us both to jolt in response. My heart plummeted to the pit of my stomach as I saw the Joker standing in the doorway, looking deranged as he appraised the two of us on the bed, his eyes settling on Thomas. He was quivering, staring back at him with fear evident in his dark eyes. The Joker bared his teeth, grinning a little with that evil glint in his eye that caused my blood to run cold.

"Out-_ah,"_ he ordered, causing Thomas to immediately leap off the bed and speed out of the room, dodging past the Joker's hunched figure. I watched him disappear before gulping and turning my eyes onto the Joker, who was now staring at me. It was a couple of seconds before he began walking towards me, and I exhaled shakily as I backed away on the mattress so that I was against the wall, my stomach tying itself into a knot. I watched with wide eyes as he dropped himself down onto the edge of the bed, causing me to bounce a little as his weight sunk the edge of it further down.

"So," he began, "what were you and Tom-_my_ talking about just now? Hm?" he asked as he took out his knife, flicking it open with a familiar click. I cringed, my heart leaping into my throat. I was fighting the urge to be sick at this point, instinctively remembering the cut to my arm he had made.

"H-he just came to bring me this," I said, glancing down at the bag I had set down to the side. "And he told me his name," I told him, deciding to be honest. The Joker could probably tell straight away if I was being deceptive. He smacked his lips.

"Oh, _reeeally?"_ he asked, his gaze on his knife now, peering at it as he turned it around in his fingers. I nodded hurriedly, silently praying that he would be convinced that this was the truth. There was a couple of seconds' silence where all that could be heard was the sound of my heart thumping intensely against my ribs and the sound of his raspy breathing. But before I could allow myself to relax at the prospect that he had accepted what I had told him, he inhaled sharply and the next thing I knew I was pinned under him, one of his hands wrapped tightly around my neck. My hands immediately flew to his wrist, gasping for breath as I tried to pull away his strong fingers that were constricting my windpipe.

"Just _talking,_ were you?" he asked, sounding deranged. I vaguely felt tears form in my eyes at how truly terrifying his face was, trying to no avail to get him to release my throat. I simply nodded as best I could, unable to think of anything else I could do to try and make him believe me. I was past the point of being able to speak by this point. I choked, desperately fighting for breath as my body became weaker and weaker.

The Joker stared down at me with that unhinged look in his eye, his grip around my neck tightening even further. I had just resigned myself to the prospect that my life was about to end when he suddenly released me, causing me to immediately retch and cough as the newfound oxygen burned my throat and lungs. He sat on my stomach, watching me as I sputtered below him. I avoided his eyes as my body calmed down, focusing on the cold, bare wall next to the bed, trying desperately not to release the sob that was threatening to escape my throat. I vaguely sensed him lean down to me again, his warm breath hitting my face.

"Look at me, Cora," he said lowly, and I reluctantly complied, not seeing any other option. His eyes drank me in as I stared up at him fearfully, hardly daring to breathe despite the messages my brain was sending me to keep raking in as much air as I could. I inwardly braced myself, my heart skipping a beat as he suddenly broke out into a wide smile.

"I just had to ask, sweetheart," he explained, grinning at me. I stared at him in confusion, allowing myself to breathe again as I did so. His demeanour, completely deranged and murderous a second ago, was now almost pleasant. My head spun. This man truly was crazy. I suppressed a sigh, my neck still burning as he climbed off of me and began to dig around in his coat pocket.

"Now," he said, bringing out a folded up piece of fabric and tossing it at me, "put this on. We're leaving in a couple o' minutes. We don't wanna miss Bruce Wayne's little party now, do we?" he asked, breaking out into a wheezy giggle as he strode out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. I simply listened to his gibbers as he made his way down the hall, heaving a shaky sigh of relief. My heart was still racing in my chest. I had never been so scared in my entire life. The moment at which I realized that I was pretty much alone with the Joker in that underpass, which seemed like days ago now, had been the single most terrifying thing I had experienced, but what had just happened had by far surpassed it. The look in his eyes as he constricted the air from my throat had been so dark, so deranged, that for a second I was certain that his face was the last thing I would ever see.

Sitting up unsteadily, rubbing my sore neck, I decided to take the opportunity to see what it was I was expected to wear, pushing what had just happened out of my mind. Taking the soft fabric, I held it up in front of me, realizing that it was a dress. It was white, and, much to my relief, was neither revealing nor very short. I had this to be thankful for at least. In fact, it was something I could see myself picking out at the store.

Ridding this from my mind, not needing to relieve another facet of my life before this ordeal, I quickly began to undress, the knowledge that the Joker could walk in in a just a few minutes' time pushing me to go as fast as I could, my fingers fumbling with the button of my jeans. I winced at the pain my battered body gave me as I slid them down my legs and pulled off the t-shirt I had worn for the past few days, trying not to graze the cut on my arm as I did so. I folded my things up carefully and placed them on the foot of the bed before pulling on the dress. Somehow, it fit just right; I didn't even want to imagine how this was the case.

I had just finished when I suddenly remembered the food Thomas had brought. Reasoning that I couldn't have taken more than a minute, and that I still had some time before we had to leave, I quickly grabbed the paper bag that was still on the mattress and pulled out a bottle of water and a small sub sandwich, which I hastily began to devour. I had to suppress the urge to throw it right back up however due to both the fear that was still rushing through my body and the richness of the food that was entering my stomach, which hadn't held anything in the last thirty-six hours.

It was only a meagre meal, which I knew was what the Joker had intended, just enough food to keep me going whilst keeping me in a weakened state of low strength and energy, but it did the trick in lessening the feeling of emptiness in my stomach. I also took the opportunity to clean the cut on my arm by pouring some water over it from the bottle and wiping away the crusted layer of blood that had smeared around it, making it look and feel a little better.

I had just finished the food when there was a single knock at the door and Kimberly stepped straight through. She was wearing a dress herself, and looked raring to go, as if she was excited about tonight. I inwardly rolled my eyes, unable to understand how anyone apparently sane could be looking forward to the chaos that was sure to unfold this evening.

"Come on," she said, "we're about to leave, and we don't have the time to wait on you."

She threw me two things, which I managed to catch by grasping them to my chest. I looked down and saw that they were a pair of shoes, which were some plain white flats. For a moment I felt incredibly stupid. I hadn't even considered shoes, just stepping back into my own ones after I'd put on the dress without thinking.

"And put this on," she said, handing me a large band-aid. "We can't afford to have it get infected," she said coldly before stepping back outside.

Grateful, I quickly peeled the band-aid onto my injured arm so that it covered the cut. Then I switched shoes, pushing my old shoes under the bed and out of the way. I braced myself as I turned towards the door. As soon as this was over with the better.

I went out into the hallway and followed an impatient Kimberly down the corridor and around the corner. My legs were growing shakier and shakier by the minute. My throat felt like it was closing up, too.

We entered the main room where there was a group of about ten thugs, some of them familiar and some of them not. I ignored the looks a couple of them gave me, backing against the wall in a way that was as nonchalant as possible, like I was someone that was meant to be here. I glanced around, trying not to catch anyone's eye. I made out Caleb and John talking in the middle.

That was when I noticed that a few of the goons were wearing hard clown masks, white ones with different expressions. A couple of others had gone further, looking like they'd pulled pairs of women's tights over their heads and tying the legs into a knot at the top, with clown faces painted on top of those. If it wasn't so dangerous I would have snorted a laugh.

Shivering, not liking how exposed I felt in this dress, I caught sight of the Joker, who had joined Caleb and John. He had a large shotgun in his hand, which he was balancing on his shoulder. I stiffened when he suddenly turned his head in my direction, his eyes gaining an intense look in them as he stared at me silently. My skin crawled, letting my gaze catch onto anything that could help me push away the feel of his dark eyes on my skin.

I looked around at everyone's faces, suddenly catching sight of Thomas near the back. He wasn't dressed up like the others, and I guessed this meant he wasn't coming with us. I sighed, wishing that the two of us could swap places. Then I could spend some more time back in that room figuring out a way out of here.

I shook my head at the sound of the Joker's voice, speaking loudly to the whole of the room.

"Come on, everybody!" he said, and his eyes met mine again through his cronies. "We've got a party to crash-_ah."_


	12. Never Ending

**A/N: Again, I am so sorry about the late update, I didn't get a chance this or last week to really sit down and get back into the story again :( But anyway, let's get on with Chapter Twelve! ****Thank you everyone that has been reading as well as jamcneill680, hulouhoop, permanentsmile, Guest, Cow-Lover2214, Suki. Fictionist, NoirDixMois, green book worm, Tattooes-are-art, AmeliaDogwood, AubriannaRose, Zombies-and-Crossbows, and marissakess for reviewing, following and/or favouriting this story, you're all absolutely brilliant! :) I hope you enjoy this chapter, as of course here we have the fundraiser scene haha! Please review to tell me what you think, I'd love to know your thoughts of this story so far! We've got a lot of crazy things to come! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from ****_The Dark Knight trilogy_****. All I own is Cora and any other original characters.**

* * *

I followed everyone outside, finding myself hanging back a little to leave a couple of seconds' distance, though sensing someone behind me. My stomach was churning, goosebumps immediately forming on my exposed arms as the cool evening air chilled my skin. Rubbing them for a second, I watched as the men in the clown apparel climbed into two pick-up trucks that were parked by the curb. I could feel the anticipation rolling off them like a wave, as one by one all of them gradually turned to look back at the Joker for an indication as to what was going to happen next. Said man was a couple of feet away, his beady eyes unfocused and his shoulders hunched as always as he took a glance at his watch.

_"Now,"_ he said, beginning to pace a little, "even though this is a part-_y_ and I want all my little clowns to have a good _time,_ we still have a _very_ important job to do. You all know what I mean when I say that _I_ will do all the talking," he finished, gesturing at his chest.

A couple of the men looked a little disappointed at this but it soon disappeared when he lazily raised the gun he was still holding and aimed it at a couple of them, giving them dark looks before strolling over to talk to Caleb as if nothing had just transpired. I felt someone take me by the arm and pull me over quietly to the black van that we had been driving around in for the last two days, parked behind the two trucks. John let me go by Kimberly who I saw was checking over a small gun in her hands.

"We're going with the Joker in this one," she said, her eyes on her weapon. I nodded, feeling something close to relief rush through me for a second; I'd assumed that we'd all be travelling together with these new thugs. Though I was sure that they wouldn't try anything with the Joker around, I'd seen the way they'd looked at me and Kimberly when he wasn't keeping an eye.

She must have seen the thankful look on my face. "You happy about that?"

"Well, I'm not sure," I replied absentmindedly, glancing back out of the corner of my eye at the Joker who seemed to be reaching the end of his conversation with Caleb. I heard her chuckle a little.

"With him is where you're safest," she said, meeting my questioning gaze for a moment before looking back down at her gun, cocking it harshly. The sound of the truck engines switching on with synonymous growls behind me met my ears, and a sense of urgency hit me as everyone prepared to leave. I'd caught something in her eyes just then, a barrage of conflicting emotions so thick and so fast it was impossible to get a grasp on them.

"What do you mean?" I asked her lowly, conscious that it was all too easy for the Joker to listen in if he wanted to, but within seconds I realized that Kimberly had already grown visibly guarded again.

"Just get in the van," she said, turning away from me just as Caleb approached us and nodded his head at the vehicle as well. Pushing what had just occurred to the back of my mind for now, I followed the two of them over to the back of the van, a gloved hand curling itself tightly around my wrist and pulling me the last couple of steps.

About to climb up, I froze when the sound of wheels rolling on tarmac as a car pulled in next to the curb met my ears from behind me, sensing the Joker as well as Caleb and Kimberly who were already in the van turn to look at it. Glancing around myself, interested in why everyone was reacting like this (maybe it was the police), I realized that this was someone who had taken them all off guard. It couldn't just be a passer-by; why would anyone stop here when the Joker and a bunch of thugs were in plain sight?

My heart was thudding when a balding, grey-haired man who looked to be in his mid-fifties climbed out of the car, shutting the door behind him calmly before continuing his journey over to us on foot. Caleb had stepped down from the van, gun now pointing at him, but the man didn't stop. When he took the step that brought him so that he was a couple of meters away, the Joker stepped in front of me so that the man was now obscured from my view, almost protectively. I heard the shuffling sound of his footsteps come to a halt.

"Maroni sent me. I'm an officer at MCU. He thought you might like a little help getting in tonight."

As everyone visibly lightened, Caleb lowering his gun next to me, I felt my mouth drop open. A corrupt cop. I clenched my fists, scowling at him from what I could see of his face around the Joker's back.

_"Maroni,_ you say?" he was drawling. "Hm. Ya know, I gotta hand it to him," he said as he strode over to the man, swinging the gun by his side. "Maybe he does have some _balls."_

A couple of the men laughed, watching. The Joker pressed his shotgun up against the man's head.

"So, your first job. You can drive us to Bruce Wayne's little party," the Joker said, pushing him roughly in the direction of our van. John jumped out, holding the door open as the man wearily climbed inside.

Meanwhile I let myself be tugged into the van, my stomach a knot as I quickly went to go sit on the far end of the row of seats. I was playing absentmindedly with my hands, my fingers shaking. It was hard to keep still. The Joker leapt up not long after, marching straight over to take a seat on my left so that our knees were touching. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when his lips touched my ear.

"You look _beaut_-iful," he said, and my alarm only worsened when I suddenly felt him rest a hand on my left knee, running a thumb over it as I sensed someone close the doors to the van and the engine start running. I exhaled shakily, relieved when I felt him lean away from me to cast his gaze around at nothing in particular, and my thoughts returned to those of the fundraiser. An icy feeling went over me. What was going to happen to Harvey?

* * *

Someone guided me into the elevator. I pushed myself against the wall, glancing around at everyone carefully. The Joker was hanging onto the man from MCU, making sure he didn't try and bow out. He needed him, for now. The doormen had had no choice but to do nothing after seeing the gun pointed to his head, quickly knocked unconscious by John and the others. As I stared at them, grins threatening to pull up their faces, I felt eyes on my back, appraising me. He was always watching. I ignored him, following the others through the beautiful lobby, the pattering of our footsteps the only sound that filled the room.

I pressed myself as close as I could into the wall as he pushed one of the buttons on the wall panel. It lit up with a ding, the lobby sliding out of sight as we started to ascend. Each button glowed for a second on each floor. The skin on my arms was already prickling when we reached the end, the elevator doors pulling open onto a massive room filled with people. The Joker pushed the officer roughly forward and out of the way.

"We made it!" he said. He stepped out of the elevator, and a second later he had fired the shotgun into the ceiling. The loud blast caused everyone to whirl around in shock, their eyes widening in recognition.

_"Good_ evening, ladies and gentle_men,"_ he said loudly, walking into the center. The thug that was holding me stepped out of the elevator, taking us over to the right of the room as the others started herding people back. I gasped when the sound of a gun cocking met my ears and all of a sudden I was watching it being aimed at groups of guests nearby. Something that sounded like a metal serving tray meeting the ground echoed around the large room, and I glanced over to see that one of the thugs had taken hold of a server and was pushing him into the crowd.

"We _are_ … tonight's entertainment!" the Joker said as he went over to one of the tables. He picked something up and took a bite out of it, chewing quickly. "I only have one question: _where – is – Harvey – Dent?"_

He let the question hang for a couple of seconds. No one answered. I saw him roll his eyes upward from the side view I had of him before he turned around and changed course towards a line of women. They were all still holding their flutes of champagne, staring at him in horror as he raised the shotgun and swung it around so that it pointed at each of them before taking the glass from the last woman's hand. She gasped shakily, watching along with the rest of us as he spilled most of it in the process before downing the last dredges and setting it down on a nearby table. Meanwhile the thug was taking us slowly along the side of the room, his arm tight around my chest.

"You know who Harvey is? Do you know who he is?" he said to more people before grabbing a man by the face, shaking him. "D'you know where I can find _Harvey?_ I need to talk to 'im about something, just something little, huh?" He took the top of his head and guided it from left to right. _"No," _he said, looking bored as he walked off again. Swivelling on his heel, he started heading in my direction. I inwardly braced myself as he stopped in front of us to take me by the chin, and immediately the thug's arm slid from around me, backing away a few steps.

"You know where he is, darlin'?" he said, shaking me. I stared back at him, trying to reign in the underlying terror that filled me whenever he got this close. "You see him anywhere, hm?" He ran his thumb down the side of my cheek before letting me go, licking his lips and turning away. I felt the thug's arm take hold of me again as he went over to an elderly, balding man with glasses.

"Y'know, I'll settle for his loved ones," he told him as he plucked something from the table and put it in his mouth. The man leant forward.

"We're not _intimidated_ by _thugs,"_ he said, causing him to pause in his chewing. His dark eyes flickered over him, and I felt the already grim tension in the room grow closer, more stifling. Everyone's eyes were on them now. Even the thug who was holding me seemed to want to stop to watch.

"Y'know," he said as he brought the champagne flute he had picked up down onto the table three times. "You remind me of my _father,"_ he said, nodding slowly in recognition. I gasped when all of a sudden he grabbed the man by the back of his head, bringing him close with his knife now hovering over his lips. _"I _hated_ my father,"_ he hissed.

"Okay, stop," came a woman's voice, causing him to turn his head to see where it had come from. A lady in a long green dress had stepped forward on the other side of the room. The more I looked at her, the more I knew I recognized her. This was Rachel Dawes, Harvey Dent's girlfriend. I felt my stomach turn as the Joker pushed the elderly man away carelessly, an interested expression on his face as he began walking in her direction. _Please, no._

"Well, _hellooo, beautifulll,"_ he drawled, pushing back his greasy tendrils. _"You_ must be Harvey's _squeeze,_ hm? And you are beautiful," he said huskily as he began to circle her slowly. Wide-eyed, I felt the man holding me start walking us further away again, his raggedy breath tickling my temple. I kept my gaze on the two people in front of us, feeling my heart thudding beneath my ribs.

"But you look nervous," said the Joker, "is it the scars?"

He brought his face a little closer.

"You wanna know how I got 'em?" he said. He nodded at her before he moved to grab her head, poising his knife over her cheek. My stomach lurched, my mind filled with the image of his eyes boring into mine, the pure ecstasy flickering in them like candlelight. Out of the corner of my gaze I could see the man's outstretched arm in front of me, his gun aiming at anyone who dared glance over at us. It was when the Joker became out of sight that I suddenly felt his arm transfer from around my waist to around my neck, pressing down hard into my voice box.

"You know, you're a pretty thing," he growled into my ear over the gasps that were escaping my mouth, my attempts at screaming coming out no louder than a whisper. I wanted to be sick as I felt his warm breath on my earlobe. "I can see why the Joker likes ya." He chuckled.

I gritted my teeth, about to try and kick him. That was when I heard rather than felt a dull 'thud' and a grunt of pain. Seconds later I was free, doubling over and sucking in gulps of air. I felt at my sore neck, shivering in repulsion. Turning around so that I could slap him, I was surprised when I caught sight of him in a heap on the floor, knocked out cold. I didn't have long to start feeling confused when a shadow fell over me. My eyes focused on the masked vigilante before me, his fist still raised.

_"Hide in one of the bedrooms,"_ he told me lowly. _"Don't come out until it's safe."_

Nodding, I watched him begin to make his way in the direction of the Joker's voice, he and Rachel hidden by a large group of guests. I shook myself back into gear, knowing there was nothing I could do other than just try and find a place to hide for now. Turning, I quickly made my way as quietly as I could into the dimly-lit hallway that led off of the kitchen area, breaking out into a full run once I was sure I was out of view. My head was pounding with my heart, feeling almost dizzy with the part of my mind that felt a sense of exhilaration, but this wasn't the time to celebrate. Slowing down a little, feeling exhausted already, I glanced over at the building across the street from the penthouse, the glassy sheen of the darkened windows from the lights below. I breathed in heavily, pushing myself along. Around another corner, lying spread-eagled on the ground was the body of a thug, out cold. Circling around him, I carried on until I reached a part of the corridor that felt more private than the rest, a chest of drawers against the wall with a collection of photographs arranged on the surface. I hesitated as I opened one of the doors nearby, feeling cautious as I stepped into a beautiful, cream-colored bedroom, perfect like it had never been touched.

Closing the door, I slowly walked into the center, glancing around. A king-sized bed dominated the room, the headboard against the far glass wall. I went over, appraising the space between the two surfaces. Big enough to fit. Sighing, I knelt down and crawled inside, arranging myself so that I was in a sitting position with my legs up against my chest. Above the sound of my breathing, I could hear crashes and thuds coming from the reception room. I guessed the Batman must have made his appearance.

Clearing my head for a moment, I began to listen the sounds of traffic on the roads, turning my gaze down to the flickering streets below. I felt a rush of adrenaline at the fact that there was just a piece of glass separating me from a sheer drop. I wondered how many floors up we were. I had never been one to be afraid of heights, but whether it was because of the view or that the Joker could appear at any moment, my head was reeling.

"It's okay," I whispered to myself. "It's gonna be okay."

It was just then that I realized it had gone quiet. The fighting must have stopped. Straining my ears, I heard the unmistakeable sound of the Joker's voice, sounding like he was talking to everyone again. He was out of breath.

"Looks like the party's over, guys and dolls! _Now _… where's my _girl?"_

It wasn't long before the sounds of his angered voice and several sets of footsteps coming this way shattered the silence. Not only that, but the sense that this was over. I'd let myself believe, foolishly, for a moment that this episode with the most dangerous, psychopathic killer in Gotham was over. And I couldn't help but wonder as my insides seemed to shrivel, like they knew the answer: when would this all end?


	13. Lost and Found

**_A/N: I am so sorry for the almighty delay in getting this chapter out. I couldn't find the time or the muse these past weeks to really sit down and make this chapter as best as it could be, so I really hope you forgive me for how long it took for an update. Especially since we had a bit of a cliffhanger last chapter. :) Thank you my amazing returning readers for your feedback, and also thank you MatthewGreyGublerLoveXXX, Booknerdforlife, Kat1894, Fan-from-you, BluemoonMusicGirl, Madness is me, SunnySideUp25, mariateresa91, DontWaitUpForMe, fearofpainteddevils, TheJesterCard, SilverPoisons, ZabuzasGirl, coeurdetenebre, Necrophagy, tiggergirl93, Silver Moonlight Blossom, KatieBliss95, Saskia D. Fox, and The Beatles Babydoll22 for your reviews, follows and/or favourites. :) Plus, thank you the four of you who reviewed anonymously who I couldn't reply to via PM, both Guests, Mia and Taine. All of you are absolutely amazing, I really appreciate each and every one of you. :) So here we are with Chapter thirteen! I hope this is a good follow-up to the cliffhanger, haha. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think, I'd love to know ways I can improve! :)_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own anything from _The Dark Knight trilogy. _All I own is Cora and any other original characters. :)_**

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I listened as the Joker's thugs spread around this quieter part of the penthouse, trying not to be sick. A sense of dread that I had since grown used to was building in the pit of my stomach. I quickly pushed it down as best I could, not wanting to think about it, already aware that there was no way I could eradicate it completely but knowing full well that I had to keep a hold of myself. In situations like this, it was all you could do.

My mind was racing now as I wondered what the Joker would do to me this time. As if on cue, I vaguely felt the cut beneath the band-aid flare for a second, quickly putting a halt to the memory before I could spend too long thinking about it. How many times had I tried to escape? How many times had I said something out of line? I felt my heart sink as it hit me that I had annoyed him one too many times, and now, with me actually running away this time, I had pretty much signed my own life away. I gulped. There was no way he was going to let me live this time.

The madness was still unfolding nearby, the odd frightened gasp of a guest meeting my ears. I swallowed down the lump at the back of my throat, images of my dad flooding into my head. The prospect that I was never going to see him again caused my eyes to burn, but the now-familiar feeling of my hopes being crushed didn't come to me, and a thought suddenly occurred to me. Was this what the Joker wanted? For me to give up hope entirely? A round of questions filled my brain, unable to come up with an answer.

Shaking my head to clear it, I voluntarily let my bewildered thoughts trail onto the Batman. Where was he? What had happened to him? More specifically, what had the Joker done to him? I remembered how excited I had been back at the hideout when the Joker had first let me learn of the party. It didn't feel like it had happened this morning.

The sound of someone kicking in the door to the room next to mine jolted me back to the present, my heart slamming against my ribs. Thinking back to the Joker to keep myself from panicking, I knew I couldn't let him crush my hopes completely. I had to keep thinking of a life and a future after this, both for my own sake and the fact that I was definitely not going to give him the satisfaction that he had successfully crushed me, which I had no doubt now was what he wanted. But why it was me he had chosen to do this to was still a complete mystery.

But before I had the chance to contemplate this any further, I suddenly heard the door to the room I was in slam against the wall as someone with heavy footfalls marched inside, causing my insides to turn to ice as a cold fear rushed through me. The hairs on the back of my neck began to stand on end with the paranoia of feeling someone's eyes on me, even though he was still across the room. I hardly dared breathe any more. It was just a waiting game from here as I sat here silently, paralysed. I couldn't let myself entertain any thoughts of freedom to keep me positive, but a small part inside me deep down was optimistic.

The scuff of the man's shoes on the soft carpet suddenly met my ears as he came over to the bed. I listened to him kneel down at the opposite end of the bed, looking underneath. Much to my relief, it was built in a way that there was no space under there for anyone to fit into, which meant that I was still obscured from view.

Holding in the sigh of relief that threatened to escape me, I tried to restore the moisture in my mouth as he got back to his feet, listening to them grow slightly fainter and farther away as he went over to a door I had seen briefly at the side of the room, which I now guessed was an ensuite bathroom. I heard him open it and look inside for a couple of seconds before slowly closing it again, sounding like he wasn't sure what to do next. The measured pace of his heavy footfalls met my ears as he came back towards the bed again.

I closed my eyes, readying myself. My spine was tingling, and half of me just wanted to jump out and stop this nerve-shredding anticipation. I could still hear the thugs in nearby rooms, but the Joker could be anywhere. I could imagine him prowling up and down the hallway, waiting just like I was. I felt my heart pick up slightly, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling as I suddenly realized the footsteps had stopped.

My stomach dropped out from under me, just as the sound of raspy breathing registered in my thrumming ears. I felt dizzy with fear as I looked up and saw a hard white clown mask with a smiling expression peering down over the headboard at me.

_"Hi,"_ he said, tilting his head at me as my whole body tensed up in fear. I cut myself off mid-yell as his hand suddenly shot down in a grab. Without thinking, I forced it away, feeling the strain of his fingers as I bent them back the wrong way. He let out a yell as I scooted myself backwards, my heart slamming against my ribs.

"You're in for it now," I barely heard him growl angrily, already pulling myself out from behind the bed as the crippling tingling sensation of pins-and-needles surged through my legs – why did you always get them at the most inopportune times? He lunged at me over the bed, missing me by a bare inch as I leapt back out of reach and pushed myself to run as fast as I could towards the door, not knowing what on earth I was going to do was once I was out in the corridor with the rest of them but unable to even think at this point.

But just as I came to the doorway, I felt myself slam into something tall and hard with hands that immediately snatched me by the arms, fingers digging deep into my biceps. The pain didn't register; there was too much adrenaline going through my body. But a chilling sensation ran through my veins as, freezing, I slowly began to take in the purple suit that was in front of me, my heart stopping in my chest. Only needing a second to realize who this was, my legs threatened to give out from under me as I carefully looked up into the eyes of the Joker, who had a wide, yellow grin on his face as he stared down at me.

"Well, it looks like our little game is over," he said amusedly, and his voice caused a tremor to go down my spine. His breath smelt like shrimp, causing my stomach to turn. I stared back up at him, trying not to let the fear show on my face, masking it with a small glare. Inside, my throat was closing, the dread rising once more, and this time I could do nothing to stop it.

"Unfortunately," I replied, but not feeling regret for it at all. This wasn't a game we were playing here. If he was going to kill me then I might as well speak my mind.

The Joker's grin widened, if that were possible, and I had to suppress the frustration that was building up at how joyfully he found my pain.

"Oh no, this game had to end, see?" he said happily. "You know, you gave my men quite the runaround." He licked his lips, bringing his face closer to mine. "Couldn't have you trying to leave me, could we?" he asked, giggling. He took one hand off my arm and adjusted his grip so that he could start dragging me with him down the hall. "Come on."

I was given no option but to follow, stumbling along after him with a weary feeling in the pit of my stomach. John and Caleb were up ahead. They turned to look at us once they caught sight of the Joker marching in their direction, their eyes resting on me for a second.

"You found her," stated Caleb, but the Joker said nothing, simply dragging me past the two of them and down the hall, with them now following behind us. I could still hear the sounds of the rest of his thugs trashing the rooms we passed by, and I felt my heart sink as I heard their laughter and cheering. Guilt rushed through me for Bruce Wayne. His penthouse was being pulled apart – because of me. They wouldn't even be in this part of the apartment if it wasn't for me running off. I hung my head, only managing to avoid tripping on the unconscious thug on the floor when I did so. He didn't look like he had been touched at all.

The Joker took us around the corner and out into the expanse of the main room where all the guests were still being held at gunpoint by a few remaining thugs. It was slightly noisier than last time, guests being toyed with and pushed around. Once the Joker was back in view however, the atmosphere immediately grew more tense, each of them turning to look at us with fear on their faces.

"Thank you for your help tonight, ladies and gentle_men," _the Joker said in the same confident tone as before, his hand squeezing tightly around my arm as we walked slowly through the crowd. He took another glass of champagne off the table, downing it before handing it to a guest to take for him. "But our business is done here!"

We began in the direction of the elevator, nearby guests taking a step backwards as we passed them as if they were being forcefully repelled. I couldn't bear to look at their sympathetic faces, knowing that this would be the thing that set off the tears. It felt like weeks since I had had contact with someone who wasn't the Joker or one of his cronies, and, seeing these people and the human expressions they held on their faces as they watched me get taken away again caused a flood of emotions to rush through me.

I tried not to break down once we were inside the elevator, vaguely feeling myself being turned around so that my back was to the Joker and his arms were around my waist.

"We hope you have a very pleasant evening," he announced to them as Caleb and John stepped inside with us too, coming to stand behind us. I didn't know what the plan was for the rest of the thugs. "But we've got to dash!"

My heart sunk when he reached to press the button to go down, and I felt him lower his head so that he was speaking into my ear.

"What a _love-ly _evening we had tonight, darlin'," he said teasingly, causing me to cringe as his lips brushed my ear and him to chuckle in response. The doors closed, obscuring my view of the guests as they looked on in shock and dismay. I felt a sickening lurch in my stomach as we descended, my heart sinking along with it as I fought the tingles that were running across my skin at the arms that kept me from going anywhere.

After about twenty seconds or so, I noticed we had gone past the ground floor where the lobby was located, and when the doors opened, I saw we were now stepping out into a parking garage where the hotel's guests' vehicles were kept.

The Joker let go of me, and I shivered a little with the cool breeze that blew through the exit a hundred yards or so away, where I could just make out at the top of the ramp a lined driveway that led onto the street.

"Go and tell our little friend to bring the van around," I heard the Joker tell Caleb and John, who both quickly headed off without a second glance. I gulped, not wanting to watch them go. I was left alone with the Joker, who currently had his back to me. I couldn't see the expression on his face. My hands were shaking by my sides now.

"Why is it," he began casually, turning slightly so that he could look over his shoulder at me, "that whenever I turn my back for a second, you try and run _away?!"_ he asked, suddenly raising his voice at the last word. I jumped, the blood pounding in my head. Though it sounded crazy to even think I could try and suss this man out, when the Joker became visibly angry, I knew I had really rattled him. Most other times he just became sarcastic, or took fun at me. Now wasn't one of those occasions. When he turned around to face me fully, the rage in his eyes was clear to see.

"Hm?" he asked, hunched over. He let out a small giggle, still tinged with anger, and once again I was taken aback by how quickly he changed his demeanour. "You belong to _me_ now," he explained lightly, and I shivered as he took the step that brought him right in front of me, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. "And I don't, _ah, like _losing my things."

I didn't have the courage to dispute what he was saying, let alone speak at this point. I simply stared back up at him, my chest heaving, trying desperately to resist the urge to drop my gaze.

His hand came out of nowhere then, too quickly for me to react. It struck me across the side of my face, the force throwing me onto the cold concrete. Gripping my right arm where my full weight had landed on it, I tried to crawl away, deciding to take my chances once again, but before I had even made it a few feet, the Joker threw back his foot to swing it into my stomach. Winded, and my face burning with his hit, I gasped and curled into a ball, my body falling slack on the ground. I sensed him over my coughing crouch down over me.

"Oh, Cora ... why so _serious?" _He lifted a hand up to presumably stroke my cheek. I immediately smacked it away, glaring up at him as I tried to cling onto the ounce of dignity I had left. He giggled, making a lunge for both my wrists, and we were suddenly in a small scuffle as I fought to keep them away from him, the sound of his gibbers only causing to intensify my efforts. He finally snatched them in that stone-like grip of his, pinning them above my head. I immediately started squirming to get out of his hold, hating how vulnerable this position was with him hovering above me, looking smugly down at me. I wanted nothing more than to smack the smirk right off his face.

"You don't know how much I love it when you show that little fight_-ah," _he said huskily. "Remember what I told ya? Back in our _room,"_ he said, and my stomach turned at the suggestiveness in his voice and expression. "Everybody has that something that brings out that fight in them. And I just _looove_ bringing it out of you," he said.

We simply stared at one another for a second, him beaming down at me with his yellow teeth and me glowering at him, just as the sound of the van approaching made me look to my right to see the familiar vehicle pull up about twenty yards away and some people climb out of it. The Joker stared down at me for about five seconds longer before he finally jumped to his feet, tugging me up with him. As he began guiding me over to the van, I suddenly noticed that Kimberly was one of the people who were standing by it, as well as Caleb and John. I looked to the driver's seat to see the MCU officer behind the wheel.

"What happened, Boss?" Kimberly asked eagerly, and if I had more energy I would have rolled my eyes. "Did you find Harvey?" Next to her, I saw Caleb do this very action.

"No," replied the Joker, raising his eyebrows as he turned his head in her direction. He didn't look at all fazed or upset by this supposed blip in the plan. "But, boys and girls, we may have found something interesting. Very _in-ter-est-ing_ indeed," he said, sounding contemplative.

"What's that?" she asked, sounding confused. A glance at the other two suggested that they felt the same. The Joker's tongue darted out to lick his lips.

"All in good time," he said mysteriously. I furrowed my brows. What had he learned? Why was he so blasé about not finding Harvey? Before I could contemplate these questions further, I was steered around to the back of the van and thrown harshly inside, landing on my sore knees. I scrambled up to my usual place at the far edge of the row of seats. The expressions on the guests' faces as the Joker had paraded us back through the penthouse spoke volumes. They couldn't believe I was still alive, and I shared in this feeling; to last two days in the company of the Joker was no less than a miracle, and I still had no further insight into why all this was happening in the first place.

I gulped when said man planted himself next to me, throwing an arm around my shoulders as the others climbed in as well.

"Where we discussed!" he instructed the officer, before lowering his head down to mine. "Time for a change in scenery," he said into my ear, causing my heart to pick up slightly in my chest. A change in scenery?

He took out his switchblade and held it up in front of him, turning it this way and that. He seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

"Harvey, Harvey, Harvey Dent_-ah,"_ he muttered under his breath. I watched him hesitantly, seeing that he looked rather lost in thought as I felt the officer take the van out of the parking garage and onto the street.

"Where are we going?" I asked Caleb quietly, not wanting to disturb the man next to me but needing to know what was going to happen now.

"Another hideout," he replied from opposite us. "You think a guy like the Joker stays in one place for long?"

Knowing this to be true, I simply nodded, and waited silently for this drive to end, not wanting to think about what lay at the end of it.


	14. Criminal Motives

_**A/N: I am so sorry for the months and months that it took for me to update this story. My second year at university just took over last semester, and today I just got the creativity to finally finish this tiny chapter, to show I definitely haven't forgot about this, and that I'm going to be finding the time to write whenever I can to keep going with this story :) The 'second part' of this chapter I've already written but needs more work so hopefully that will be out soon. I want to say thank you as well for all your follows and favourites, all your names are below :) You're all amazing and I hope you enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy.**_** All I own is Cora and any other original characters :)**_

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The smear of red paint that had clung to the window when the body of Brian Douglas had hit the glass had long since been removed, with more thorough forensic testing being conducted on the corpse right at that moment, and had been for the entire bleary day. Of course, the Mayor had requested he be told every new advancement as and when it happened, but nothing yet had been found with regard to possible DNA tracings of the man he, as of a couple of days ago, now hated with a cold vengeance.

The Joker was clever, no matter how much it pained him to admit it; as was clear on the home video the bastard had filmed, he wore gloves, preventing any of his skin from making contact with the man's body. The playing card found pinned to the front with the words** "WILL THE REAL BATMAN PLEASE STAND UP?"** he knew was still being analysed for leads.

Though the Joker's message regarding the infamous Batman, who the Mayor himself was personally advocating to put behind bars, having engaged in various media appearances to showcase the ongoing investigation, was clear, what _wasn't_ was still the question that had plagued him over and over, and showed no signs of going away.

_Have people work on identifying where he was filming. Search potential hideouts, abandoned warehouses and such. Appeal that anyone who may have come into contact with the man under the alias of 'The Joker' step forward immediately._

Mayor Garcia sighed, lowering his head from where he had been staring out of the window into the city before him, the sky slowly darkening as another night began to draw into the city. Another night for his daughter, somewhere out there, ostensibly still alive, despite the situation dictating that she would not be. He had already lost too much in his life. His wife, Joan. He still wore his wedding ring; he hadn't been able to bring himself to take it off. Cora had always found it hard to talk about it.

Clenching his fists resolutely, he knew he wasn't going to lose another.

It was then that the door of his office was suddenly swung open, and Lieutenant Gordon stepped hastily through, breathing as if he had been walking very fast, or rather, running.

"What's wrong, Gordon?" he asked immediately as he watched the lieutenant catch his breath, trying to keep his heart from hammering. Gordon's features were twisted with trouble, unsure how he was going to convey what had taken them all by storm.

"Sir, the Commissioner's been poisoned," he explained reluctantly, seeing the Mayor's blood drain from his face at the news. He went on, dropping his gaze to the floor for a second to try and organise his next words. "Acid was somehow laced into one of his personal beverages he kept in his office." He brought a hand over his mouth in discomfort. He knew full-well the implications of the statement he had just made, as did Mayor Garcia; someone at City Hall was working for the Joker. Gordon inhaled deeply.

"And … we've just had word that Judge Surillo was the victim of a car bomb at around the same time. She was on her way to a secure location," he decided to add, seeing the Mayor's eyebrows furrow in confusion as a surge of guilt ran through him at this detail, unable to keep from envisioning the car in flames with the woman trapped inside. He paused, letting what he said next linger in the air, the gravity of the Joker's most recent actions hitting them both. "They're both dead."

Mayor Garcia stared at him, the atmosphere in the room stifling as the both of them silently questioned what this meant in their minds, how the situation had now drastically developed. First a civilian; now this. The Joker was no longer one of the many lowlife criminals that were motivated by either fame or money, as was originally suspected immediately after Cora's kidnapping. It was nearing the second evening now, and nothing had been requested, except the obvious publicity that of course had to follow. She hadn't even been mentioned in the Joker's film. The murder of Brian Douglas had been shocking and tragic, and now he had killed two well-known figures in the city hierarchy.

This man wasn't just a volatile madman anymore, Gordon knew, which would have been the more comforting alternative; his actions tonight proved that he was a cunning, lethal terrorist with deadly intentions that way surpassed what the rest of Gotham's underbelly sought. Mayor Garcia felt his heart sink as he envisioned what the Joker was doing with Cora once again, now with fresh eyes. She was a teenage girl, as normal as could be, save for who her father was; what could a man like the Joker possibly want with her? This was the question they had all asked themselves repeatedly, a question that even Benjamin Winters, a man who specialised in criminal motives, could not answer.

"Detective Ramirez brought word to me that forensics found three sets of DNA on the Joker card," Gordon explained wearily, knowing he had to explain the next advancement, "belonging to Harvey Dent, Judge Surillo, and Loeb. It seems he likes to tell us who he's targeting. We've sealed the building, Sir, I don't know if you've noticed."

He gestured to the window as the Mayor immediately strode back towards it, looking down through the glass at the street below to see several armed police officers guarding the exits. He hadn't heard them at all. _At least they're doing their job right, _he thought to himself.

Gordon watched him, feeling a fresh bout of pity for the man who stood before him, slightly silhouetted by the last of the day's light that managed to pierce through the window. Despite his tall, well-built figure that suggested he had spent many days at the gym – which wasn't surprising; the man was a public figure, and nearly always in the media – it was clear that the man in front of him was feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders right now, with all that had happened and was currently unfolding before their very eyes. Gordon could think of a person who must feel the same, perhaps even more so, but who wasn't nearly as public with his life. In fact, his life during the day was a complete mystery.

Feeling his eyes travel back up to the twinkling skyscrapers before him, Mayor Garcia felt his heart churn for the two people who he had grown to know so well during his time at City Hall, who he had pledged to clean the city with together, by bringing Gotham's criminals to justice. Had the holding of the Mob trials sealed their fates? Suddenly, a thought struck hold. He turned back to the lieutenant, alarm gripping his senses.

"And Harvey Dent?" he asked quickly.

"At Bruce Wayne's fundraiser," replied Gordon, realizing the Mayor was on the same thought processes as him. He shifted on his feet and turned half of his body to face the door, knowing he was becoming more visibly anxious as he prepared to speed out of the office and to that location. "We've just had word that there's been a disturbance at the hotel. My officers are already on their way; I knew I had to keep you in the loop. That's likely where the Joker will be right now, if we're not too late to catch him."

* * *

_**Thank you again to everyone that has read/reviewed, and also evilramen, desna99, Hylian-Sky, flute123, niomichan117, Crystal Forest, Liquidation, cataloo456, Drowned Island Goddess, Danielle312, yuki. sawer. 7, aliceforgryffindor, Psyclon, Gedwey ignasia, jenmarinov, BlackDragonTalom, Frost-Prime1340, bieberXsterekXkagomaruXWOLF, janebke, KitKat567, ElemenTalia, jessicaberlin101, docwhox, Whappy101, Lucykins, YellowRozen368, snickers2218, PandamoniumAnna, CharlieFarleyGirl, Carnival Sleeper, Dragonfruit112, LadyLight04, and Trihardgrippy'sgirl! :)**_


	15. Nostalgia

_**A/N: Another long wait, but hooray, a new chapter, finally! :D It's been so long, I'm really sorry. This is a big thank-you to Trihardgrippy'sgirl, desna99, Cant. Resist, Angelatronnn, BloodWaltz, StillDreamingOn, Mrs. EmilySalvatore, StrangeWhiteCat, wireless-bird, srosegarden, Cassadoodle88, Anna10473, theultimatewriter69, EctopicKnight2, Marie, LoriJane1995, Daisy, ChristineDaae, njkeen, EllaSwan, JSblackWidow, and BrynnTurpin for your reviews/follows and/or favourites, they mean so much to me! I hope you enjoy chapter fifteen, as next up we have the memorial ceremony, which I'm really excited to write and is one of my favourite scenes from the movie :) So please review and tell me what you think! :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy.**_** All I own is Cora and any other original characters :)**_

* * *

The feeling of carpet under my cheek was strangely comforting this time. I slowly pushed myself up onto my forearms, frustrated at myself. Once again, I had been stupid; any sense I had had to judge how far out of the city we had travelled and in what direction had been lost to me not too long into the journey. I couldn't explain why: maybe it was the thought that perhaps truly, this was the last time I would ever ride in a car again. I used to take so many with friends, whether it was for a late-night McDonalds or just to drive around the city – it was reckless, I know, but I was more naïve then.

I think everyone has that belief that that awful thing won't happen to them. It's always someone else that draws the short straw, someone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wasn't aware back then how truly fragile life was; I was just going along for the ride. In all fairness, who has these thoughts as a seventeen-year-old girl, with seldom else to worry about but finals and whether I fit in enough at school? I wasn't the only one to have lost their mom. But regardless, I had never let that be a factor that singled me out as a person. I was too proud for that, and I wasn't afraid to say that I immediately refuted the possibility of being defined by what had happened. No matter how much I missed my mom, despite how little I remembered of her.

_Stop it!_ I quickly scolded myself. _The last thing you need right now is to cry._ Quickly checking myself, I brought myself up straighter in my seat, fiercely blinking away the tears. I wasn't going to let these people see this weakness in me. As far as I knew, the Joker and his cronies were unaware or simply didn't care that I had lost my mom, and remained a painful subject. I intended to keep it that way.

The van had come to a stop soon after that. I was immediately pulled to my feet by a hand that squeezed around my mutilated arm, dragging me with him out of the van. He let go, and I slumped to the ground, feeling the cool, smooth surface of the road under my bare legs. The same hands seized my weakening body, deprived of food and sleep, and without warning I was brought up into the air, span around and bundled over the Joker's shoulder, knocking the air out of my lungs in an _"oof!"._ I immediately hit him, not keen on being thrown around like a rag doll.

"Put me down!"

"No way to run this time," he said lowly as he marched, paying no attention to my angry protests. Giving up, I hastily strained back my head so that I could see the landscape behind us. Before long we would make it inside and it would be gone. All I made out was that we were at the end of a street of detached, beaten up looking houses, a large cluster of trees behind a rotten wood fence to the side. We passed through the front door of one of them and it was all cut out of sight.

Shaking off my sore side from being hurled straight to the floor, I scanned the room we were in as everyone began making themselves at home. The sounds of quiet conversation met my ears, and I could vaguely hear from behind me Caleb and John dismantling their guns. Everyone seemed a bit more comfortable here.

Casting my gaze around, I saw that this place was actually furnished compared to the abandoned store building. In fact, it was very well decorated. There were couches, some tables, pictures on the walls, which was odd, and a television set. Had a family lived here once? But before I could begin to wonder what had happened to them, the Joker suddenly stepped into my line of sight, and it didn't take me long to form an idea. He really was a monster.

He was looking around the place, peering at some of the framed pictures and straightening them with his gloved fingers. I could hear him making noises in his throat again, _mm_-ing and murmuring to himself. When he suddenly swung around and clapped his hands together, grinning, I couldn't stop my heart from jumping into my throat.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think our new abode is much more _home-lyyy,"_ he said, baring his yellow teeth. He glanced at one of the cronies. "Hm? What d'ya think?" He went over to him, slinging a long arm around his shoulders. "You like what we've done with the _place?"_

He shook him and let out a low growl as he turned to go over to the window. I averted my eyes away from his hunched figure and to some of the pictures that had been arranged around the room, showing a man, a woman, and a girl with pigtails, all smiling happily. It was definitely a family.

The Joker must have sensed something however, probably the sadness that was blossoming in the pit of my stomach for what had happened to them, for he suddenly whirled around, his purple trench coat flapping behind him. He locked gazes with me on the floor, glaring at him. He grinned, striding over. I hurriedly got to my feet, keeping my eyes on him cautiously.

"Another _esss-ca-pade,"_ he said semi-seriously, raising his eyebrows down at me. "With the _Bat-Man_ too! You sure do know how to break a man's heart."

He flicked out his signature knife, and my breath immediately hitched upon instinct. He came closer, bringing it up to my cheek, gripping my jaw lightly with he other. My throat tightened. I couldn't breathe.

"That's really _meeean,_ you know," he said lowly, licking his lips as he stared down at me with a hard expression. He didn't say anything for a while, simply appraising my face with his eyes. My heart pounded under my ribs, feeling like I was about to suffocate as tears burned behind my eyes. Couldn't he just get it over with?

After a couple more seconds, he finally removed the knife and his hand from my face, backing away. I immediately let out the breath I had been holding, swaying with the force and the dizziness. My head was spinning, barely catching as the Joker gestured at someone with his free hand. Someone seized me by the wrist and pulled me along with them over to a door at the edge of the room, my heart already sinking in my chest, feeling like cattle that was heading to the slaughter room. My mind suddenly flashed back to the meat-locker, pig carcasses flashing before my eyes, as well as Brian's bleeding body. I swallowed hard, vaguely catching sight of more pictures lining the walls of the dim hallway we were walking down, propped up on end tables that lined the sides. _Why me?_ I couldn't help but think.

We went up some stairs and suddenly I was pushed through one of the doors leading off from the hallway and into what I saw was a master bedroom. A large double bed took up most of the space, with two expensive looking lamps at either side on matching bedside tables, giving the room an almost cosy glow that made my tired eyes want to close.

"You know what he's going to do to you, right?" Kimberly's voice sounded sourly, only just registering in my ears. I turned to look at her, halfheartedly taking in her superior expression as she stood there with her arms folded. What was with this girl? I sensed a multitude of emotions from her right now, and I didn't have the energy nor the want to try to separate them from one another. Was she a friend or an enemy? Couldn't she just pick the one? Yet I also sensed something else going on with how she spoke and interacted with the Joker. Could she possibly ... _admire him?_ I couldn't help but think that it may even be more than that, my stomach turning at the prospect. Reasoning that I may never get the opportunity again, I decided to try and get some answers.

"Why are you working for the Joker?"

I watched as her expression changed, growing almost softer as she averted her eyes to a patch on the ceiling, strengthening my sneaky suspicion that she had developed a crush on the Joker.

"I joined him when my brother did," she replied, shocking me.

"You have a brother? Who is it?" I wasn't surprised when she left without a word, looking like she'd grown bored of our conversation. I suddenly wondered whether the reason she still talked to me, despite the fact how clear it was that she didn't like me, was because there was no one else for her to talk to. Was I the only one that didn't expect her to help with the murderous whims of the Joker? How long had it been since she had talked to another girl?

Shaking my head, I sat down on the edge of the double bed, feeling myself sink slightly into the soft duvet. I felt uncomfortable, despite the obvious quality of the mattress, which was a world away from the bed I had used back at the old hideout, where it was so worn I was convinced it would disintegrate under my skin. It was rather, how long had it been since the old inhabitants had used this room? Was it as early as last night? The smell of air freshener still lingered. I could even tell the scent: jasmine.

Normally I would have enjoyed the scent, but now the fake, sweet smell unsettled my already turning stomach, still disgusted by Kimberly's idolisation of the Joker. There was no place for me to run now. How many times had I tried to escape? My mind was filled with endless questions right now, amplified by the sense of uncertainty that had risen at this change in environment. I no longer had the familiarity of the old hideout to cling to, just the vacated, nostalgic surroundings of a family's once home.

I glanced around the room again, catching sight of myself in the mirror on a dressing table in the corner. I hadn't seen my reflection for days, so it was a shock to finally see everything first-hand. The cut on my forehead had nearly disappeared; I'd peeled off the strip of gauze earlier, knowing I had no need of it anymore. The cut on my lip still remained, and my arms I could see were dotted with bruises. The worst of course was the cut that stretched down my arm, which, after carefully removing the band-aid slightly, I could see was very deep. It would scar, for sure. A constant reminder of this nightmare – and him.

I leant forward and held my head in my hands. Why had this happened?

* * *

I must have fallen asleep, for when I owned my eyes, I found I was beneath the covers, and sand scratched at my eyes. Again, I couldn't remember how I had ended up in this position. It was still relatively dark, which meant that I couldn't have been asleep for more than one or two hours at least, although I could tell morning was slowly beginning to draw in. It had been a long night.

When I was pulled from sleep for a second time, it was to the face of the Joker grinning manically above me, his rows of yellow cutting through the early morning glow of the room. I gasped in horror and shot backwards, almost falling off the bed with the force I'd thrown myself away with. He burst out into laughter.

"Ooo hoo! He he _HA!"_ he cackled, falling backwards onto the mattress and rolling back and forth. I stared wide-eyed, perched on the very edge of the bed. I could see right to the back of his throat with how he was laughing, his greasy green hair making stains on the white sheets. I had seen him like this several times, but it was never any less disturbing. I forced myself to look away, focusing instead on the closed door that led back out to the hallway. I had the uneasy feeling that it had been locked, and felt my heart start to hammer inside my chest as he began to calm down, still letting out bits of giggles as he pushed himself back up.

"Oo hoo, you don't know how fun you are, Cor-_ah,"_ he said, grinning over at me from where he sat on the far end of the bed. I said nothing, and the corners of his mouth fell, looking far more stern now, though humour still tugged at his lips. He licked them before climbing fully onto the bed and began pulling himself over to me.

"Don't you touch m–" I started, but I found my words cut off as he grabbed my calves and pulled me under him so that he was now hanging over me, his arms coming down either side so I couldn't try and roll away. I was in other words, trapped.

"You were saying?" he giggled. I glared up at him, and he matched it with a teasing grin of his own. "Y'know … I rather like this-ah," he drawled tauntingly, and his tongue flicked out to lick his lips again. "I _sayyy _we do this more often. That's what two people do, isn't it, when they want to feel _clossse,"_ he said, and as he spoke, his right hand came down to squeeze at my thigh, uncovered from where the dress I still wore had ridden up in the scuffle.

That did it. I raised my hand and slapped him, catching him across the side of his cheek. The force jerked his head to the side, and in the second of silence that followed after cutting him off, I felt my heart swell at seeing smear marks of where my fingers had dragged at the paint, my hand burning next to me. The Joker turned his head back down to me, grinning, but I could see the anger bubbling beneath the surface. He growled.

"Mmm, I love it when you're feisty," he said, and suddenly brought his head down closer so that we were practically nose to nose. "Do it again."

Sickened, I was about to jam my knee into his crotch when he quickly dropped his body down fully onto mine, preventing me from making the movement.

"Oh, the lady isn't happy!" he said. "We should try and fix that."

Before I could try a thing in self-defence, I was raised up by the shoulders and immediately shoved fiercely back down into the mattress, so hard my body would have bounced if he wasn't jamming me downwards, now climbing up to sit on my hips, unable to move with the weight of him no matter how hard I tried to shift him, straining with the effort. There was a click as he took out his knife, bringing it to hover over my face.

"Maybe this wasn't enough," he said to himself, and his hand suddenly started squeezing on the cut he had made to my arm, causing my eyes to scrunch closed in pain as I felt blood start to ooze from it again. A harsh pressure to my lips however made them fly open, to see the Joker fiercely attached to my mouth once more. I jammed them shut, feeling his tongue trying to gain entry, and he growled. I was kicking by this point, a sense of urgency filling my body as my vision grew hazy.

I reached out with my free hand, feeling for anything I could grab. My fingers brushing something hard on the bedside table, I hurriedly formed a grip around what I knew to be the lamp, bringing it back and colliding it with the Joker's head.

He detached with a sound of pain, the force knocking him to the right, but as I was struggling to pull myself off the bed, my arm was seized from behind. He threw me to the ground, my head connecting with the wall. I welcomed the unconsciousness, hearing his ragged breathing from above me and his warm breath on my exposed cheek, falling once again into a place where even he couldn't follow, if only for a short time.


	16. Everything to Lose

_**A/N: Thank you to all you guys that have been reading as well as my new readers Aurelyce, TheSodaVampire, SariaSadie, skyfreedon, TheRageOfTheSea, Gen3683icy6, perpetualnotion, jokerchic101, and Quinn Aries, your follows, favourites, and/or reviews mean so much to me and I love each one. :) You're all amazing! I hope you enjoy this super long chapter lol, please remember to review, even if it's just constructive criticism. I love hearing from you!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy.**_** All I own is Cora and any other original characters. Now enjoy! :)**_

* * *

Someone was shaking me by the shoulder, trying to pull me back from unconsciousness. Their hand had forced its way through my nightmare, cutting through the middle of it roughly to try and shock me awake. It made me stir, struggling to get to it. But the pair of dark eyes from somewhere in the distance ahead of me and a voice that caused shivers to run down my body had rendered me once again like a terror-stricken child in the dark, clinging to the bed sheets as they desperately waited for the night to finally come to an end and the morning light to stream comfortingly through the curtains.

I squeezed my eyes shut, hearing his voice whispering all around me. I trembled, brought back to all those nights ago in the underpass, when I had first heard his voice from behind me, trapped like a mouse and he was the cat. The feel of his warm breath met my ear, and I immediately burrowed my head into my hands, pressing them hard into my skull as I held in the whimpers that were threatening to shake my body. Curling in on myself, I grabbed onto all I had, the small yet stronger, less afraid part of my psyche that had managed to withstand the Joker's attempts to get to me, the part deep down that was keeping me from losing myself.

When I slowly opened my eyes, a new scene met them that was far removed from any of the others that had usually been the main setting: a bustling sidewalk alongside a main road, jam-packed with morning traffic; the local café where I would go grab a coffee sometimes, the one where I had had the accident; and finally the winding corridors of City Hall, where I had visited my dad occasionally for the sake of something to do on a quiet day, planning to poke some fun. No, this time, to my astonishment, it was my old bedroom.

A hollow feeling blossomed inside my chest as I hesitantly lowered my hands from my head, staring feebly around at the ivory-colored carpet, the large four poster bed in the center, the cream wardrobe that held all my clothes, and the pale pink walls that I was sitting against in the corner. I had covered them over the years with boards of photographs I had pinned to them consisting mainly of days out with distant family members who I hardly ever saw, but mostly trips to the beach or the theme park or sporting events with friends. Our grinning faces stared out at me, all of us living it up under the care-free blanket we shared. It had been my best friend Kayla's strong observation that living in Gotham did not mean living in the constant fear of what _could_ happen, and I, being younger and less wiser, a part of me perpetually angry after the death of my mom, had immediately agreed. I couldn't help but wonder how I could have been so stupid.

Shaking my head, I scanned around. Everything was in its place, the comforter on my bed laying perfectly and my tattered collection of books and old _Muse_ CDs I played whilst I did my homework arranged as I had always left them, scattered in a pile across my desk. There was a murky smell though, the kind you get when the air somewhere hasn't been moved in a while. I vaguely registered, again, the sensation of eyes on me from a place that I could not see, but whether it was the sense of security that my old bedroom brought, I didn't feel too frightened.

It was just a second later however that my own eyes caught on something by the window, catching me off guard for a moment by how it seemed to appear in the corner of my vision. I was forgetting that this was a dream. It was the unmistakeable form of myself, staring vacantly out of the glass, chin resting on my hand that was propped up on the sill. I recognised the expression as I ventured closer cautiously. It was the one I used when I was thinking deeply about something, though it was hard to tell what it was, despite how I got the gnawing sense that this was a memory that I had kept in my subconscious.

I joined dream-me's gaze out of the window hesitantly, and gasped at what I saw. I quickly strained my eyes as I tried to make out further the pale face staring up at us through the windscreen of a large black van parked on the street down below, two dark eyes piercing through the glass right up at where the other me sat. I quickly glanced at her, and noticed with some relief that she had acknowledged the stranger too, rising slowly to her feet. Whipping back around, I was just about to peer closer when the eyes had disappeared as quickly as they had come, recessing back into the darkness of the van before it sped ferociously off down the street, leaving nothing behind. The Joker.

I turned to look at the other version of myself, heart thudding a little. What had he been doing here? Why was he here? What was the thinking in his head behind risking exposure by making an unforeseen trip to a quiet but nonetheless well-populated area of Gotham, to see _me?_ But before I could begin to contemplate the answer, the surroundings had transitioned to a room I had never seen before, the décor reminding me of a hotel function room. The curtains were drawn letting little light in, a large long table stretching down the center. Well-dressed men in expensive suits sat round it, none of them seeming truly relaxed. There was an air of secrecy and uneasiness, and I could see that the men that stood by the doors standing guard had guns at their belts. It took a moment before it finally clicked. The Mob.

"Are we all agreed?" one of the men said with a thick accent and hair that had been greased back into where it curled at the ends: it kind of reminded me of the Joker's, but with time and care having gone into it. "We take the girl."

"Hold up. There's just the matter of the external party. For obvious reasons, we cannot be seen to be involved," said another man with well-groomed greying hair and a matching suit. "More evidence against us."

"That bastard, Harvey Dent," someone seethed, causing some murmurs of agreement and nodding of heads. I felt a surge of protectiveness go through me at Harvey's name, but quickly returned to the conversation before I missed anything.

"Well, then we advertise," said the man with the thick accent again, as if this was the simple answer. "Any of these _low-lifes_ on the _street_ wanting to make a name for themselves will do it for the right price and follow our instructions. So we make it known: the Mob will pay for a man to do the job for us."

* * *

I finally woke, trembling. A hand was resting on my shoulder, and I looked up cautiously to see who it was that had been trying to wake me. To my surprise I saw a young man who I had never seen before standing over me, with an uncertain expression on his face. Seeing that I was awake, he took his hand off my back.

"You okay?" he asked genuinely. On-guard at this – he was one of the Joker's cronies, after all – I nodded, and summoning all my strength I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position. My body groaned and the back of my head started to throb.

"Thank you for waking me up," I said without thinking. He probably had not done it out of kindness, but I felt grateful all the same. He shrugged.

"You looked like you were having a bad dream." He suddenly placed something down in front of me. "Eat it fast, we haven't got much time before we leave," he said, and it was then that I realised I had been granted food. He also brought something else from behind his back: a fresh pair of clothes. "You can change in there," he said, and nodded at a door to the side of the room next to a large chest of drawers that I guessed must lead to a bathroom. A feeling I could only describe as comfort warmed my chest. Just the prospect of being able to have a wash made my spirits rise a little.

"Thank you," I told him, my voice coming out in a small croak that I wasn't even sure he heard. He gave me a grim smile in return.

"Don't mention it," he replied, and quickly left the room.

Suddenly realising that I had somehow been transported from the floor to the bed again at some point during when I was unconscious, I quickly shook my head and sat cross-legged as I hastily began to devour the leftover McDonalds, not caring that it was cold and that the others must have picked over it, leaving the rest for me. I silently thanked the man, as he could have easily left me to starve.

Finishing quickly, I grabbed the pile of clothes he had brought and headed through the door he had pointed out, which turned out to be indeed a bathroom. I weakly changed into them, only realising that they were a t-shirt and jeans after I had pulled them on. I decided not to question whose they were. To my surprise, I had also been given my old sneakers. I held them tight for a second; these were the only part of home I had right now. I took the opportunity to use the toilet, and when I used the sink I scrubbed as much sweat and grime as I could from my hands, arms and face, feeling a lot better once I had patted myself dry with one of the fluffy towels on the rail.

I also felt ready to peel off the band-aid from my mutilated arm. I shook a little at the sight once it was gone, only just managing to rub some soap into it before I had to stop because of both the pain and the tears that threatened to escape once more at what the Joker had took away from me. The chance to live a life without memory of him. The scars would remain.

Taking a deep breath, I went back out into the bedroom, leaving the dress from the fundraiser on the end of the bed. I was glad to be out of it. The feel of the Joker's eyes on me scared me out of my mind. But I knew he was capable of much worse; I had been lucky so far, escaping with only cuts and bruises which would eventually heal. The times when I'd made him angry… it was like looking back at the devil himself when he would bring me so that we were staring into each other's eyes. So many emotions danced in them: rage, humour, relish, madness, lust, and something else I couldn't quite place.

I shivered, rubbing the goosebumps that had formed on my bare arms underneath the purple t-shirt the goon had given me. Shaking my head, I let my mind finally drift to the nightmare that had left me with more questions than ever before, my head in a tail-spin. There was no doubt in my mind that I had been watched by the Joker in the weeks leading up to my kidnapping. But yet I was no closer to working out the motive for his decision to pluck a seemingly random girl from her home and life, for seemingly no gain out of it at all.

But what the nightmare had really made me question was the Mob. Had I been seen as some kind of bait for my dad and the city to take? My stomach dropped. I could come up with several reasons why the Mob would want a teenage girl to kidnap, or rather someone to do it for them and take the wrap in exchange for a big pile of cash. All of a sudden I felt as worthless as an object with no purpose, a doll that was meant to be dangled in front of the city for ransom.

I shook my head. But this didn't shed any light on the Joker's role in all this. Not for one second had it occurred to me that he would willingly work for anyone else but himself. Yet he must have come into contact with the Mob; the Joker had always kept things relatively secret from me, only revealing exactly what he wanted either to taunt or to torture me, but the crooked cop that had arrived just before we had set off to the fundraiser last night had mentioned Sal Maroni. I racked my brains, my mind a whir of questions that I needed to know the answers to. For some reason I knew there was more to all this, a whole other can of worms to this nightmare that I needed to uncover. My heart sped up at the thought, though I had long since realised that I had been pulled into something much bigger than myself. I had to know what was going on, how and why the Joker had forced himself into my life.

A stray thought entered my head, which after reluctantly considering, I knew I wouldn't be able to remove. One of his cronies was sure to know at least a little more than me about the Joker's plans. They helped carry them out, after all, though how much he revealed to them I wasn't sure. It had to be worth a try.

Just as I was thinking over this, there was a loud knock at the door, and I swung around to see Kimberly poke her head through.

"Good, you're ready. Come on," she said, excitement tinging her usually bitter voice. "We've got somewhere to be!"

She disappeared back into the hallway, and I reluctantly left the room after her, following her in the direction of the living room. My heart began to thud again, and I tried not to show the dread on my face as we entered. Caleb, John, and the rest of the Joker's goons were standing in the middle. All of them had at least some of their attention on the TV, which was blaring loudly. My mouth opened a little as I suddenly recognised Thomas standing a couple of yards away from them, still looking his usual sweaty, anxious self that I had seen before.

There was another man with them, wearing a thin suit that didn't look like it had been ironed. Something was off about him, the men around him not standing too close. Glancing up cautiously, I caught sight of the green-tinged blonde strands of hair that fell down his neck, the sensation of mounting fear I always felt when I saw him rushed over me. When he suddenly turned in my direction, catching my eyes, I saw the scars that stretched up the sides of his face, his skin completely void of make-up.

"Ah! Someone's finally up!" He strode over to me. "I was beginning to worry," he said quietly, picking up a strand of my hair and curling it around his bare finger. I stared up at him, hardly believing it was him. Why had he taken off his face paint? He was gazing down at me as well, his eyes holding something in them, but it quickly disappeared as he suddenly grabbed my shoulders, stepping behind me.

"I want to show you something, dollface," he said, pushing me towards the TV. Having no other choice, my eyes hesitantly locked onto the screen, seeing that it was a news report on GCN. My dad had done a couple of segments on here before, most recently on the Batman. I knew what side of the fence he fell on, but I had always watched them nonetheless. Mike Engel was reporting.

"… _Yes, this is a sad day for all of us. Commissioner Loeb was an inspiration to us all, a true public hero. And now, we celebrate the good he has brought to our city in this memorial ceremony, which we will cover live for all you who can't attend this afternoon. But … a dark cloud looms over today, with the statement released by GCPD that the Joker, responsible for the death of the Commissioner and also Judge Janet Surillo, who was car-bombed just a day ago, has named Mayor Garcia as his next target, in the obituary of this morning's paper. It is suspected that he will attack as the Mayor delivers his speech, scheduled for one o'clock. However the ceremony _will_ go ahead as planned, with _maximum_ security …"_

I was too numb to listen to the rest. My heart was sinking to the pit of my stomach, my legs feeling like they would give out from under me. It didn't seem real. I half-expected my surroundings to crumble around me and I would wake up in my bed, and all of this would have been a dream. But the Joker wrapped his arms around me from behind, and the feeling was all too real.

"I couldn't wait to show you," he said, and I could hear the grin his voice as tears welled in my eyes. Unable to breathe, I turned around as best I could to stare at him, his face blurring.

"You can't," I whispered in shock, letting out a choking sound. Anger began to take its place, a white hot feeling searing through my body and caused my hands to shake. He was grinning, showing his sour yellow teeth, and I knew inside he was loving every second.

"Please, NO!" I screamed, my voice breaking, and I began to hit him in any way I could, slamming my fists against his chest and trying to shove him backwards. _"No, no, please, NO!"_

I was crying, unable to stop hitting him with everything I could, but I could see it was doing him no damage at all, from what I could see through my glistening vision as tears ran down my cheeks. From out of nowhere, I was suddenly pushed to the ground, landing hard on my side. I looked up, and one of the men was standing over me with a hard expression, gun-in-hand.

But before I could blink, he too was struck down to the floor with a thud that shook the room. My eyes snapped to the Joker, his hunched figure with his back to me as he stared down at the man by his feet.

"What did I say about touching her?" he asked, eerily calm, but I knew the anger was just below the surface. "What did I _say-y?"_

Whimpering, I felt hands grab my arms, pulling me steadily to my feet. I didn't know who it was behind me, but I could feel them trying to keep me standing, their hands squeezing support into my slack limbs. The Joker kicked the man on the ground, letting out a giggle over the man's grunt of pain, and turned back to face us. I glared at him through my tears, breathing heavily.

"Let's go," was all he said, giving me one last look before marching out of the front door that he wrenched open. The person behind me began guiding me after him, keeping me steadily in front of him and forcing my feet to keep in step. I was in no state to protest, my mind feeling disconnected from my weak body. We were on our way to kill my dad, to murder him just like the other innocent people that had died for no reason at all. What could I do? There was nothing I could do. It was out of my hands.

As we made our way down from the doorstep to the familiar black van ready and waiting on the sidewalk, I closed my eyes for a moment, pleading inside my head. What had he done to deserve this? What had Gotham done to deserve this? What had this city done to warrant the man in front of me to wreak such pain and terror onto it? Did he feel like it was his _job?_ The things he had said, they were all so cryptic, and I had spent whatever time I could thinking over them. Every conversation we had had, it was always as if he was trying to convince me to see things his way. I felt repulsed.

The Joker threw open the passenger door nearest the sidewalk before walking around and climbing into the driver's seat. I was just being steered in the direction of the back when the Joker cut in.

"At-ta-ta-ta," he said, gesturing at himself. "She's gonna ride in the front with _me."_

I looked at him. Without his make-up and his purple suit, he didn't seem like the Joker I had reluctantly grown used to. It was easy to forget that there was a man underneath it all, though a crazy man nevertheless.

"Actually, I'd rather not," I said, it coming out more boldly than I had intended but not regretting it at all. I pulled myself out of the person's grip behind me, feeling stronger now with the resentment I had for the man in front of me, who I could see out of the corner of my eye was giving me a dark look. A growl came out of him, before he suddenly grinned.

"I just _love_ that fight you have in ya," he said throatily, and there was something in the way he said it that caused a shiver to run down my spine at the serious note. "I can strap you in, if that's what you want," he said mockingly, his dark smile widening. "I'll make sure you're nice and _safe-ah."_

My eyes widening, I quickly clambered into the van with a push of the person behind me, pulling the door shut and hearing the child locks click into place. My stomach lurched at the sound, knowing he was looking at me but unable to bring myself to match his gaze. Glancing out of the window, I saw John quickly make his way round to the back of the van with the others, and I felt a twinge of gratitude as I realised that he was the person that had helped me up.

"That's my girl," I heard the Joker say beside me.

The sound of the van starting up caused my fists to clench in my lap, only vaguely registering my nails digging into my clammy palms. The Joker was mumbling excitedly to himself as he jerked us away from the curb, and I hurriedly buckled myself in, feeling like I had just strapped myself in to ride on the tallest rollercoaster in the world.

"_Oh,_ this city, it needs me, _it needs me, Cora …"_ he growled as he sped us down the street.

Clutching the seat, I said nothing, carefully watching the reams of people as we raced to the center of the city, making their way anxiously down the sidewalk. Turning my gaze back to the street ahead, I scrunched my eyes shut tight, focusing on my dad. I couldn't lose him. I couldn't lose anyone else. I felt like I was about to jump off a cliff, only there would be no chance of survival, no way of ever being able to feel the same again. I blinked back tears angrily. It hadn't happened yet. Sitting up straighter in my seat, I knew I had to keep strong if there was ever going to be a chance of being with my dad again, out of the Joker's clutches once and for all. I just had to keep myself together.

We soon pulled down a quieter street, parking quickly. Everyone jumped out, and the Joker reached across to pull me out with him through the driver's side. Gathering with everyone on the sidewalk, I glanced around anxiously, seeing a glimpse of Parkside Avenue where the parade was taking place, at the far end of the street we were on. It had been blocked off by barricades, and I could see the slow procession of people walking past even though we seemed to be a little early. What happened now?

As if hearing my thoughts, the Joker turned to look down at me, grinning.

"Ready for some _cha-osss?"_ he asked, gripping my hand strongly in his.

I tried to stop myself from shaking, feeling his eyes burning into the side of my face that he could see. I didn't look at him.

"I know what's going on inside that pretty little head of yours," he said as he took a slow step closer to me. "You're _scared, afraid_ of what's going to hap-_pen._ But you know the way you need to live in this world, Cora? Laughing while the world is burning."

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_**A/N: Well that was long. :) I had more written for this, but this felt like a good place to stop haha. Please review to tell me what you think. Thank you for reading!**_


	17. Ripped Away

_**A/N: Thank you so much to my returning readers for your reviews and/or author and story follows and favourites, and also to jessicaberlin101, Shayde F. Revelle, anime0luver, PasoFinoLovrr and EvilQueen16, you're all brilliant! :D I'm sorry this wasn't out sooner, but I hope you enjoy chapter seventeen! Please review to tell me what you think! :)**_

_**Btw, the first part of this chapter is based on a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche: "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."**_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own anything from _The Dark Knight trilogy_. All I own is Cora and any other original characters. Enjoy! :)_**

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I didn't want to see the world burn. I didn't understand why anyone would ever want to; burning the world, it would mean the end of it for them, too. I'd heard people use the words before, as a joke or when they were angry, but never had I believed that a person would seriously, truly want to see it as a reality until I met the Joker. It scared me, seeing someone so far gone, someone who was probably past the point of ever returning.

When I would stare back at him, in those moments where our eyes would connect and my brown met his black, that tiny flicker of emotion clouding them that I still couldn't decipher, I was trapped by him, and although it was completely unimaginable, him I think was trapped by _me._

It made my heart beat faster and my blood turn cold. I hated him, I hated what he'd done to me. He'd smashed my life like a vase on the floor. I could imagine him kicking the pieces around, laughing to himself as he grinded a shard into the ground with his shoe. So why did I feel like whenever we locked eyes, he was looking deep into my soul and me a glimpse into his?

I shook my head, pushing this out of my mind for now. I felt the Joker squeeze my hand again tightly beside me, and the sounds of the parade as it built met my ears, hearing ceremonial bagpipes in the distance. Racking my brains, familiar with this area of the city, I made a guess that they must be only half a mile away, sounding like they were on Broome Street. Soon the VIPs of the ceremony would be marching down the road adjacent to us, and my dad would be one of them.

"Let's meet Gotham's finest, gentlemen," the Joker said to his cronies, and knowing smirks pulled across their faces. I was just scrutinising them when I felt his lips suddenly at my ear. "Don't make me jealous now, darlin'."

I shrunk back from him, making him chuckle before he began to yank me behind him into one of the towering apartment blocks that led off from the sidewalk. We entered a dark foyer, and the Joker immediately went over to some stairs by one of the white-washed walls, towing me behind him eagerly. I reluctantly stuck close to him, feeling some of the eyes from the others on me behind us.

After what must have been four or five flights of stairs, we finally went around a corner and onto a long corridor, the walls again a stark white. The Joker didn't let up, striding with his long legs down past some doors on the left. I struggled to match his pace, glancing out of the windows to the right and noticing how high up we were. I was never one to be afraid of heights, but right now my stomach was clenching. I held back as we came to a door labelled _1502._

The Joker pulled me in behind him quietly, and I blinked at the dim light in the apartment. There was no furniture, or any lighting. In fact the place was completely bare, stone cold concrete beneath our feet. My heart thudded as I looked around slowly, half expecting someone to leap out and attack. We turned a corner, all stepping into what must have been a large living space. The blinds at the back had been pulled halfway down, and there was a large pillar in the centre. But what struck me were the six Honor Guards lying spread-eagled on the ground in front of us. Looking closer, I saw that their eyes were open, barely conscious. Two men stood over them, holding guns. I stared sadly down at them, hating how vulnerable they looked, and wondered how they had ended up here.

The Joker was appraising them. _"Per-fect,"_ he said, letting go of my hand and making a sweeping glance of them at his feet. "I think it's time for a _switcheroo-ah,_ don't you, boys?"

Baffled, I watched as he suddenly knelt down to the nearest man to deftly unbutton his uniform. The guard protested weakly.

"Stop … please," he wheezed, but the Joker ignored him. Three of the men that had come with us, including Thomas, stepped forward to do the same as well, fumbling with the buttons as they took the guards' jackets, trousers and caps. Disturbed, I glanced back at Kimberly to see her reaction. Her eyes were glinting, and I could tell she was watching the Joker. I kept my eyes averted, scrunching them shut as the sounds of pleading and rustling fabric met my ears.

_Keep strong, just keep strong._

A couple of minutes later, the Joker and his five cronies were now dressed as six Honor Guards. The men were still on the ground, left in their underwear. As they were heaved up and lumbered over to lean against the column, I turned to look hesitantly at the Joker. He was gazing over at everything, licking and biting his lips. When his eyes suddenly flickered up and caught mine, a grin stretched the corners of his face and he made his way past the others over to me.

I backed up a couple of steps without thinking, hitting the wall behind me. The Joker stepped so that he was centimetres away, bringing up both his arms so that I couldn't sidestep him. Reluctantly I met his eyes, trying to slow down my heartbeat as I fixed another steely expression on my face. I hoped he wasn't going to try and kiss me again.

"Tell me, Cor_-aaa,"_ he said, still grinning, "'cause I have a _question._ And I'll know if you _lie to me,"_ he said in a sing-song voice, bringing his face closer to mine. "I want to know … was there something … _missing_ from your life?" he asked innocently.

I immediately bit my tongue. Everything I said I knew he scrutinised, and I was averse to telling him anything he wanted to know about my life, for fear he could use it against me later. I kept silent, mulling over my options, but his eyes narrowed.

"Answer me-e," he half-growled, half-sung, coming impossibly closer.

"I had everything I needed," I bit back, not seeing where he was going with this. I kept my eyes focused on his as he stared back at me piercingly, licking his scarred bottom lip.

"Y'see, I have a certain _knack_ for knowing when someone is unhappy … when they're craving something _more,"_ he continued, gesturing with his hand. "And _you_ … I know you're one of those _peop-le."_

His face suddenly came another inch closer. I quickly turned it to the side, feeling his nose graze my temple. I held in a whimper, shivering at the feel of his warm breath on my skin. Out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly saw the young guy that had brought me the food and the clothes fixing a wire to the side of the far window with tape, attaching what looked like a timer to the end of it. Next to him, raised on a tripod, was a telescope angled down at the street below. He glanced over, taking me by surprise, and his eyes were sad.

The Joker finally stepped back from me, and I quickly met his gaze again, feeling him take down his arms from either side of me. He seized my forearm and before I knew it I was being dragged out of the dark apartment, back along the corridor and back down the stairwell. I squinted as we exited into the bright yet grey sunlight again, the sound of the parade now much harder to ignore. Adjusting his grip, the Joker opened the driver's door to the van and lifted me inside by my underarm, setting me roughly down onto the seat.

"Everywhere else is standing room _only,"_ he said, smiling widely at me. He leaned on the side of the van with his arms again, caging me in. I glared at him, breathing shakily. But for once it wasn't because of his proximity; it was what was going to happen in the next twenty minutes. Was I about to see my dad murdered right before my eyes? I looked down, blinking back tears. I wasn't going to cry. All I wanted was to show him how much I hated him, how much I absolutely despised him with all I had. I didn't care what happened to me. All I was focused on right now was my dad.

The words spilled out of me before I could stop them.

"I wish I'd never met you," I murmured, cursing myself when a tear dripped down my cheek. I wasn't looking at him, but I felt his eyes burning into my head. "Why are you doing this?"

The seconds dragged on with no answer. I was just beginning to think he was going to ignore what I'd said and walk off when suddenly I felt his fingers grab hold of my jaw, bringing up my face so that I was forced to look up at him. My neck screamed with the pain.

"I want to show people how _misguided_ they really are," he said down to me, sneering. "How _disillusioned_ this city has made them out to be. Your daddy has every buffoon in this city watching out for him. Everyone is scared. And you know why? Because that's their _code._ That's their _order of things._ And when something threatens to disrupt that order, everybody goes craaazy." He shook my face as he said the word, and I felt my heart thumping in my ears.

"Tell me," he began again, "would everybody go this _loopy_ if I said a _gangbang-er_ was going to die today? But when it's the _mayor_ … it's not worth thinking about," he said, lowering his face to mine for a second before pulling back and looking like he was thinking about something. _"Gangbanger,"_ he said suddenly. "Kind of like the one that killed your dear mommy, hm?"

The encompassing noise of the parade went silent, the only thing I could hear was my own heart beat reverberating through my body.

"How do you know that?" I asked, feeling my insides shrivel up at the glint in his eyes. He smiled back at me strangely for a moment before he suddenly looked away from me and down at where the police car had cordoned off the avenue, and I could now see lines of silent people with their backs to us standing on the pavement, waiting for when the parade would pass by. He turned back to me.

"Well, looks like the crowd is waiting for me!" he said. He stood back and beckoned someone over with his hand that I saw was wearing a smart white glove. I was surprised to see the others had appeared behind him. Looking back at me, he suddenly leaned in close again, our faces now inches from each other.

"I'll be back soon, don't you worry. And you're gonna stay right where you are, capisce?" He slapped my cheek lightly, grinning. Standing up fully, he started walking back down the street, the others following after him like a pack of puppies. I jumped when someone suddenly appeared at the door, and I quickly looked up to see the guy from earlier, his dark eyes solemn.

"Mind scooching over?" he asked, and I moved over to the passenger seat, letting him climb in and shut the door. He started the car and put his hands on the wheel. "We're gonna get a better view."

I sat back into the leather, not watching as I felt him take us down some empty streets in what felt like an arc. When we pulled up to the end of a road that opened out onto Parkside Avenue, again barricaded off, I realised we had driven up and around and were now on the opposite side of the street, much closer to where I could now see was a huge platform with a podium at the front. A large group of people were slowly taking their seats behind it. One of them I recognised as Lieutenant Gordon, looking around nervously. He had been on duty the evening of my mom's death. I remembered being at the police station, the fear and the pain eating me from the inside. My mom was dead, and that scared me more than anything. I remembered myself crying into his blue police shirt with his arms wrapped around me comfortingly, squeezing the strength back into me.

"I'm sorry," a voice came from beside me, pulling me back to reality.

Shaking my head, my eyes suddenly focused on the six Honor guards arranging themselves in front of the platform, and it was then that I saw my dad making his way to the front of the stage. I turned to look at the man beside me carefully, suddenly realising that I had been crying again, feeling a wet tear streak on my cheek. It didn't occur to me to wipe it away.

"For all this. It's gone too far." He grimaced.

"Then why don't you let me go?" I said. Turning back to the front, I felt him give me a wan smile.

"I'm in too deep."

Hearing my dad's elevated voice on the microphone as he started his speech, I knew deep down I understood. He couldn't have been much older than me, maybe twenty one or something like that. I couldn't ever expect him to risk his life for me.

"Clearly he was not a man who minced words. Nor should he have been. The number of policies that he enacted as Commissioner were … unpopular, policies that flooded my office with angry calls and letters. But what we forget, is that the Commissioner had all of our best interests at heart …"

I felt him take a deep breath beside me.

"Okay, this is what we're gonna do," he said, and I quickly turned to look at him at the determined tone in his voice. He had a gritty expression on his face as he dug around in his jacket pocket, keeping eye contact whilst he carefully brought out a small handgun. My eyes widened but he quickly opened his mouth to explain.

"You're gonna take this," he said calmly, pressing it into my own hands, which I curled them around cautiously, "and I'm going to remove the child locks. After that, you're going to get out of the car and run as fast as you can. Do you understand?"

I stared down at the weapon in my hands, hearing my dad's voice as he began to wrap up his speech. I was holding something that could potentially kill and probably had killed a person, wielding a kind of power that paralysed you in an instant, staring down the barrel of a gun.

"Why are you giving it to me?" I asked hurriedly, looking back up at him.

"If I'm going to convince the Joker that you managed to knock me out with my own gun and escape, I can't have it on my person, can I?" He smiled weakly. I shook my head in protest.

"He'll kill you," I whispered, but he simply smiled at me again.

"I'll be fine. The Joker will be too focused on finding you than killing me," he said, just as what sounded like the ending line of my dad's speech met our ears. I quickly spun around to look at him.

"We must remember that _vigilance_ is the price of safety," he said, standing back.

The two of us both hurriedly turned to see the row of Honor guards starting their protocol, the spokesman shouting out commands.

"_Ready … aim … fire!"_

"My name's Chad, by the way," he said cheekily, and I could tell he was trying to hide the dread on his face. I nodded, feeling a genuine smile pull on my cheeks as he unlocked the passenger door.

"Thank you," I forced out, and my voice broke a little. I would never be able to repay him for what he was doing right now. I just hoped I would have the chance to try some day. He gave me one last grin just as I turned around and jumped out of the car.

"_Ready … aim … fire!"_

The sound of gunshots echoed in my ears as my feet met the tarmac, realizing that they were from the snipers in the fire escapes. Shaking, I started to run faster than I had ever run, the next set of commands from the Honor guard a blur in the background.

"_Ready … aim …"_

Reaching the entrance to the Avenue, my legs froze me in place as everything seemed to happen in slow-motion, feeling like a voltage was being passed through my body. My stomach lurched to my feet as the Joker and his cronies suddenly swung around their guns and pointed them at my dad. Shots exploded in front of me, deafening, and before I knew it Lieutenant Gordon had leapt in front of him, pulling him to the ground.

The event erupted into chaos. All I could hear was screaming and shouting, everything now a mass panic. Without thinking I pushed myself into the swarm of activity, immediately feeling myself being tugged and pushed in every direction as people fled. Fighting my way towards the platform, feeling the tears streaming down my cheeks, I just hoped the Joker wouldn't catch sight of me, knowing he would be making a quick escape back to the van. I didn't dare look back, finally coming to within seeing distance of the stage. Everything was blurring, but then one thing shone like a beacon out of the corner of my eye, and slowly it came into focus; the face of my dad, staring at me in shock, as officials attempted to push him off the stage.

"Cora," I barely managed to hear him say, and then he was fighting to get to me, the people that were trying to force him away one after another realising what was happening. They began to point and shout, calling for help. My dad pushed his way through them, speeding towards the edge of the stage. I struggled towards him, feeling like I was sleepwalking as I focused solely on making my way in his direction, not registering anymore the panic-stricken people around me.

But before I could be lifted to safety, a pair of arms shot out from behind me, wrapping strongly around my waist. The Joker angrily dragged me, kicking and screaming, back into the fray.

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_**A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Please review, they make my day! :)**_


	18. Caught in the Crossfire

_**A/N: It is one in the morning in England as I'm writing this haha, and I am so happy to finally upload chapter eighteen! I'm so sorry about how late it is, I hope you all forgive me. This is a massive thank you to all my returning readers who are all amazing (!), and also to Gemini97, PasoFinoLovrr (thank you for everything!), MIND100, opheliac73, Dreaming A Crystal Tear, DayDreamingWriter97, DRAGONZRULE, ashley . bruch . 5, ottchan, LoveFollowsMe, guest, Camelia . Becker . Temple, Hughsie17, XRebekah-Mello-Deadpool-LoganX, Viltho, TimeyWimey1, kazekrystal, Centeres, dreamsmadereality, AnthonyRamosIsLove, BellChellType40, BooksAreMyDrugs, Lia-et-Eli, colorfulimagination123, pinkspring101, NOOOO (lol), demarcusgraham, ArtChild96, AllyKat15, beladelsirine, and golden-priestess for your follows/favourites and/or reviews. You are all so brilliant! :) I hope you like this chapter, please review to tell me what you think! :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy.**_** All I own is Cora and any other original characters.**_

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"CORA!"

My dad shouted after me, but we had already been swallowed up by the crowd, the sound barely meeting my ears. Through the flickering, panicking people racing past us I suddenly caught sight of him drop down and start to push urgently through the mass, some public officials behind him that had been seated on the stage yelling manically at him to come back. I strained my head backwards as the Joker careered us through zig-zags of terrified people, blinking back hot tears as I looked back to our makeshift path in front of us. Everything was extra loud, the noise assaulting my ears as I continued clawing at his arms that were wrapped around me like a cage.

I still had the gun in my hand; before I could question what I was doing I was aiming it haphazardly back at him, but within seconds he had wrestled it out of my grasp and thrown it at a patch of ground that quickly disappeared. I felt his low, angry expels of breath, the sound of my dad's yells still meeting my thrumming ears, as something inside me stirred, like a nostalgic thought that comes to you in a second of silence.

Before it could be cut from view, I strained back to look behind us at the stage. The platform was now completely empty except for a small group that had gathered at the front. I only half registered the motion of the Joker scooping me up bridal style as he took us off the Avenue, staring back with my eyes still blurring at Lieutenant Gordon splayed out on the stand, detectives kneeling over him. I could see their faces, and the expression on them I could only describe as one of heart-rending shock that a man so beloved had been taken away from us all so quickly and unexpectedly … saving my dad. I wanted to laugh at the bitter irony of it all. Spared one but lost another.

_"CORA!"_

We went around the corner, the shadow cast by the tall apartment building overhead sheathing us as we entered a side avenue I recognised as Brine Street, a long, narrow road lined with small shop fronts and parked cars. As the Joker quickly marched us over to the familiar black van on the curb, ready and waiting to speed us away, the same, gnawing sense of sadness I had experienced in the dark moments where I had been alone in my room in the hideout sometimes blossomed again inside my chest. I had been inches from rescue; I could feel my heart still thudding, my hands shaking which I guessed must be from the adrenaline. In my head I wanted to go over the countless scenarios of never-ending _what-ifs_ and _what-could-have-happened(s),_ but I knew to do this would be to pointlessly torture myself. I couldn't think like this, not if I wanted to keep from losing myself, to cling on to the small bit of hope that I had that I could maybe be able to go back to my life at the end of all this. I could sleep again in my old bed, sit and look out of my window like I used to do in the mornings, be with my dad again.

I had to stay strong.

Shaking my head to focus back on what was going on, I caught sight of Caleb standing guard by the back of the van. I had to steady myself as the Joker leapt up inside, trying not to touch him as Caleb immediately joined us and pulled the doors shut with a clang. The Joker roughly unloaded me onto one of the seats and slammed a couple of times on the wall to signal John at the front to leave.

"Let's get these wheels rollin', Johnnie-boy!" he called, bringing himself down eagerly next to me as we suddenly accelerated down the street. Grabbing onto something to keep myself upright, I spied Kimberly and one of the other men still in his Honor Guard uniform across from me, looking exhilarated. Kimberly caught my eye and looked away. It was then that a single thought suddenly struck me, one word taking over my entire being. Chad.

Brown eyes, tanned skin, dark floppy mess of hair. Kind. Compassionate. Had put his life on the line to try and save mine. I felt sick as I realized that he wasn't among any of the faces in the van, where I had last left him. Where was he?

It was no sooner had I started to urgently look around the van for him that the crack of a gunshot hitting the doors outside made the people sitting around me bristle. I hurriedly brought my hands up over my ears, each resounding shot feeling like it was rippling through my body. I glanced at the Joker, incredulous at the happy expression on his face just as the van made a sharp swerve. Almost thrown across to the opposite wall, I clung on for dear life.

"What's going on?" I cried.

"Bastards are shooting at the tyres," said Caleb, cocking a large shotgun he must have pulled from one of the gear bags that were always strewn on the floor. Next to me, I felt the Joker take out a gun from his jacket, just as the others readied their own.

"Don't have too much fun, boys!" he said, grinning.

I watched in shock as the two of them manoeuvred their way to the back, pushing open the doors. I squinted as the light suddenly flooded into the back of our dingy van as Caleb knelt down on the edge, aiming at one of three detectives that were running furiously after us, guns pointed at the wheels. The Joker leaned out precariously, holding onto the top of the van. Catching sight of both Caleb and the Joker, I saw the detectives waver a little.

"Stop the van, now!" one of them shouted feebly. From what I could see of the Joker, I saw he had an interested expression on his face.

"Oo, looks like someone wants to go first! Well, what are we waiting for? Let's let him have it!"

Caleb shot. I gasped as the man fell to the ground, rolling and clutching his leg in agony. The others in the van joined in, picking them off one by one as easily as if they were in a shooting range. Feeling sick, I felt my stomach sink further as a car suddenly rounded the corner haphazardly, speeding after us down the street; a man in a leather jacket leant himself out the window, aiming once again at the tyres.

"Stop the van, Joker!" he yelled.

The Joker giggled, throwing away the gun he had been holding and, still swinging on the ceiling, held out a hand. I watched as Kimberly hastily took out another gun from the gear bag and gave it to him, stepping back to give him room. The Joker immediately raised the gun and shot the man hanging out of the window, causing the car to swerve wildly as the detective's body slid out onto the ground. The Joker reloaded, shooting at the windscreen. A crack appeared, and within seconds the car was out of control. It veered into a shop front, glass crashing over it and stopping it dead. I felt my heart stop beating as I watched smoke begin to billow from under the hood, and within seconds it had exploded. I could almost feel the heat on my skin even as we sped away, tears drying on my cheeks.

* * *

Soon enough the van came to a stop. It had been another unnerving ride, one that felt much longer than it was. The others had been focusing on shoving the guns back into the bags and having their own hushed conversations whilst the Joker sat back beside me, bobbing his knee manically. Though I hadn't turned my eyes from the floor of the van for the whole of the twenty minute journey, I had felt his intense gaze on me all throughout, never straying even for a second. I'd made the wise decision to keep my mouth shut for fear of setting him off, not that I would be able to talk to him anyway. I was scared that if I were to open it even for a second a string of obscenities would come flying out of it so fast that I wouldn't be able to stop myself and he would have reached for my throat and murdered me right then and there, for being impotent.

As everyone climbed out, the Joker grabbed hold of my wrist in a stone-tight grip and yanked me out after him so that we were standing on the sidewalk. Breathing as steadily as I could, I looked up to see a large building that looked to be still in use judging by its clean appearance but couldn't decide what it was. I settled on an office block, shivering a little. What were we doing here?

"Aw, don't be scared, doll," a voice chuckled in my ear, and I froze at the feel of the Joker's lips on my skin. I turned to face him questioningly, taking in his eyes that were glinting with humor. He was leaning down slightly in front of me so that we were nose to nose. "We're just going to visit some _friends."_

He was still in his Honor Guard uniform, so he hadn't repainted his face with his make-up yet. It was surreal, looking back into his dark eyes, his face bare. I stared at him, squirming a little at a tight knot that had formed itself in my stomach. Appraising me, he gave me one last grin before standing up straight and started to pull me with him through a set of glass doors, and I could hear the others' footsteps behind me as we entered a large, stuffy foyer with some leather couches that looked worse for wear. I felt a bead of sweat run down the back of my neck, but I didn't have the courage to wipe it. What was going to happen now? I didn't know if I was up for more destruction.

All of a sudden it occurred to me that my companions were being very quiet. I glanced around, seeing how extra careful they were where they placed their feet. Kimberly accidentally nudged an empty coffee cup on the floor, and to my right I saw Caleb give her a look like she was completely stupid. She glared back at him, and I couldn't help but find their dynamic a little amusing. Maybe it was because I was on the verge of delirious right now, I didn't know. I was drained, physically drained, and all I wanted now was to curl up and to try and fall asleep, to shut everything out, even if it was back at the hideout. Pushing this out of my mind for now, feeling my eyelids drooping a little, I hoped that whatever the Joker's 'job' was here, it wouldn't take long.

We went through some more doors and onto a long hallway with a faded red carpet runner. At the far end I could see a fire exit with the familiar green light overhead. I saw the others clock sight of it as well as if taking note of where it was, with the exception of the Joker, who, whilst still being almost impossibly silent on his feet, strode confidently over to two men that seemed to be standing guard outside a door. Upon catching sight of us, they immediately swung around, taking out handguns from their pockets and pointing them at us. I gasped, stepping back a step, but just before I had even thought about running two whizzing sounds went past my ears, and the men had slumped to the ground. As we continued closer, the Joker not faltering for an instant, I saw the darts that had imbedded themselves in their necks; Caleb and John behind us were switching guns.

The Joker stepped over the bodies, letting out a small giggle as he purposely let his shoe catch one of them on the face, and opened the door to the room they had been guarding. We stepped inside, and I felt the Joker let go of my hand as he went and stood in front of a long table of men that had turned to look at us in shock and … fear? I felt my mouth fall open a little, automatically stepping back a few steps, as far as I knew I would be allowed to go. The Mob. But it was strange; they didn't look as imposing as I always thought they would if I were to ever see them in the flesh. Right now, of the eight or nine men that there were, they looked almost … timid.

"Gentlemen!" said the Joker, stepping closer and clapping his hands together. "It's been a _while!"_ he added enthusiastically.

"Joker," one of the men said in a beige suit, who didn't look to be too rattled, but still had a grim expression on his face. "We weren't expecting you."

"Yeah, well, I've always liked surprise _partiesss,"_ the Joker replied in a low drawl. I felt my breath hitch in my throat as the man cast an eye over at us.

"I see you've brought friends."

"Oh, don't worry, they won't _bite-ah,"_ the Joker told him. Behind me, I felt Kimberly draw a little closer to me, and for once I didn't mind the feeling of having her next to me. Suddenly the eyes of the man in the beige suit came to rest on me, and I swallowed, trying not to look timid.

"You have the girl," he stated in an emotion I couldn't place. My eyebrows furrowed, and I felt the tension in the room go up a notch. Some of the other men shifted in their seats a little, now appraising me as well. The feel of their eyes on my skin made my spine tingle. The Joker didn't turn to look at me, instead sounding more serious when he replied to the man.

"_Yeah,_ well, some things are best kept close to the _chest,_ don't you agree, Mister Maroni?"

"Not in the slightest."

The Joker waved him away with a hand. "Look, Sal-ly, I came here to discuss our business regarding the _Bat-man._ Just to touch base, ya know? After all, you called _me."_

He gave them a look, his lips stretching to reveal his stained yellow teeth in a cat-like smile. Despite the fact that for once I wasn't the object of these mind-games, I watched him tensely as he suddenly glanced around the room exaggeratedly, looking like he was searching for someone.

"Ya know, it's a shame, your friend the Chechen isn't here; he's a class act," he said as he pulled up a chair and leaned forward on it menacingly.

"He was caught up," said Sal Maroni, still giving the Joker a steely look.

"That's too bad," replied the Joker, "but anyhow, I couldn't resist catching up with ya, seeing how we all know you were a little … _reluctant_ to do business, hm?" He leaned forward so that his forearms were on the table, looking at Sal Maroni with a knowing, teasing look in his eyes. I saw the man's eye twitch a little, looking like he definitely wasn't enjoying being toyed with but knowing he couldn't do anything about it.

He stared back at him, looking like his brain was ticking. The grim expression hadn't left his face. Seeming to have made up his mind, he got to his feet slowly, adjusting his suit. He nodded at the Joker and carefully made his way out of the room, three of the men getting up themselves and following him.

My stomach twisted uncomfortably as I felt his eyes drift over to me for a moment as he passed, watching as he exited the room through the door with the others. Before it closed, I saw him vaguely appraise the two men on the ground and head in the direction of the fire escape down the hall.

Just then, one of the remaining men got to his feet, his chair scraping back on the floor. His hand was in his inside jacket pocket.

"You've made us look like fools," he said venomously to the Joker, who was watching him with a mock-innocent expression on his face. "But I'll be damned if I let a freak take control of the Mob!"

He had just started to take the gun out of his pocket when the Joker immediately took out his own and shot him square in the head. I gasped as the man's eyes rolled upwards, and he slowly fell back onto the ground. The remaining men who had leapt to their feet began to fire. Someone pushed me onto the floor, and I immediately pulled myself behind a large cabinet Caleb had pushed over for cover, the blood in my head pounding in my ears. I pressed my hands over them as the gunfight started, shaking as I watched the others each take their own position and start firing at the Mob members.

Glass shattered over me as someone shot a vase nearby, and I shielded my head as Caleb suddenly sped forward and tackled a guy who had edged closer to us, taking him to the ground. Not wanting to be completely defenceless, I carefully grabbed a large shard of the glass, trying not to cut myself with my fumbling hands as more shots rained over my head, each one reverberating through my body.

A shadow suddenly casting over me, I looked up to see one of the men standing over me, his gun raising – I gasped in shock as a bullet went through his head, blood spattering over me. A sob wrecked my throat, my eyes transfixed as his body met the ground with a thump. I stared at him for a moment, letting out a shaky breath as I let myself wonder who it was that had just saved me from being shot as I suddenly felt a hand grab my ankle. I screamed as I was dragged along the carpet towards the door until another distinctive shot caused whoever had hold of my leg to let go and I was suddenly in the middle of the firing range, chaos erupting around me and I was in the thick of it. I hurriedly dragged myself under the large table, still holding the piece of glass that was my only form of weapon right now.

I turned to look back at the Joker who was laughing as he shot, his firing eerily accurate. All around me from what I could see from under the table, men were falling to the ground, bleeding out of bullet wounds in their heads and chests. More men seemed to have entered the room. Pairs of legs danced next to me, dodging bullets as he attempted to fire from behind the cover of another cabinet.

Suddenly a female shout met my ears, and Kimberly slumped to the ground, clutching her leg. It was bleeding profusely, and though she looked like she still had more fight left in her, she fell backwards so that she was laying on the ground.

Acting fast, I hurriedly grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her under the table, hearing her cries of pain as I jostled her leg. Finally I managed to get all of her body covered, and I locked eyes with her for a second. I nodded at her and turned my attention back to the gunfight.

Hearing another strangled yell, it sounded like John had been shot in the foot. Enraged, sounding like a wild bull, he charged at one of the remaining men, pushing him to the ground and wrestling with him. Terrified, I turned my attention back to the Joker, who didn't look like he had a scratch on him. He was still laughing, letting out rounds of "HA!" as he shot each man.

The noise was getting lower, and I realized there were only a couple of men left. I could see one of them ducking behind one of the upturned cabinets, in a fierce shooting frenzy with Caleb. I didn't know what I was thinking in my involvement of what happened next. I crawled over to his feet and stabbed with all my might the piece of glass into his fancy business shoe. He shouted, immediately jumping out of reflex to get away from the source of the pain, dropping his gun. Kimberly suddenly appeared beside me and grabbed it, pointing it at him with an expression on her face that would make any man quake in his boots.

"Nice try, you bastard," she hissed, and she shot him in the chest, watching him drop to the ground with satisfaction in her eyes. Trying to regain myself, I peered out from under the table and slowly got to my feet at the sight of the last man being pointed at with a gun held by the Joker, shaking with his hands in the classic surrender pose.

"Please, Joker, don't kill me," he said. "I'm sorry."

Stepping back with the others, taking in that all of our group was okay, with definite battle scars but nevertheless alive at least, the Joker waltzed up to the man, gun still pointed at his chest. Surreptitiously, I saw him draw out his knife from his pocket.

"Oh, I know you are," he said mock-comfortingly, and he grabbed the man's head. I closed my eyes as he began to dig the blade into the corners of the man's mouth. Muffled gurgles of pain met my ears and tears filled my eyes as I heard the body fall to the ground, devoid of life. The only sound left in the room was my shaky breathing as the Joker turned to look at me, giving me a happy smile before he turned to look at the others.

"Looks like playtime's finished, boys and girls."

As everyone collected themselves, ready to leave, I felt an arm slide around my waist, and I was suddenly brought up against the Joker's body, feeling his dark eyes on me again as he brushed a piece of hair behind my ear. He was staring at me with an odd look on his face.

"Let's go home."

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_**A/N: I hope you enjoyed! :) Please review to tell me what you think! :)**_


	19. There and Back Again

_**A/N: Thank you to everyone that has been reading and also Velgbortlivet, cuckoocanoodle, BunnyMermaid, sydhuman, NewPerspective, ClumsyReader, A-Mais-Pura-Preguica-do-mundo, kiki8o, RosalinRathheart1897, grovyleanime, RandomWhatevers, Viking'slittlePrincess, Courtney-Tamara, Serendipity1212, Bunnie. 863, AureliaMarie, manysplendidthings, Iaurhil, and The Girl Who Cried Werewolf for all of your amazing follows/favourites or reviews :) I can't tell you how much it means to me. I hope you enjoy chapter nineteen! **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy.**_** All I own is Cora and any other original characters :)**_

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I couldn't explain what it was in his eyes. While my head was silently saying to myself _NoNoNo_ that any place with him could ever be considered home, the way he was gazing down at me, it was like he was trying to read my mind, gauge what was going on in my brain. Uncomfortable, I dropped my stare, feeling my cheeks growing hot at the intensity that was radiating from his eyes like ultraviolet light.

I heard a groan from behind us, and I turned around to see Kimberly getting to her feet with difficulty, looking like her leg was about to give out from under her. Her dark hair was falling over her face, but it was obvious she was masking the pain. I instinctively stepped forward to help her, but a strong hand on my arm stopped me in my tracks. Confused, I glanced back up at him questioningly as he lent his head down to mine.

"We don't hang around for stragglers, Cor-_a,"_ he told me lowly, smiling. He didn't even look back at her as he brought a hand behind my back and started to steer us out of the room, and by the sound of footsteps in my ear I could hear the others following us. "Now, I say we go home and celebrate -"

He was cut off as I took myself out of his grip and stepped back near Kimberly. Though she had been struggling to get to her feet, I felt her stop what she was doing and stare at me, and to be honest I didn't blame her for being surprised. The two of us were far from being friends, but for some reason I felt a kind of protectiveness for this girl that had wholeheartedly dedicated her life to the Joker who wasn't ever going to give her what she desperately wanted.

"We can't just leave her behind," I said strongly, trying not to let my voice shake at the expression the Joker was currently giving me, one that suggested I was being both extremely foolish and unexpected. He took a step towards me.

"You want me to bring along some _dead weight?"_ he asked, staring down at me. I couldn't stop myself from wincing at the words; I didn't even want to know what Kimberly was feeling right now behind me, sounding like she had managed to get herself upright. Racking my brains for what to say to this, I took a deep breath.

"You can still use her. She -"

The words were literally forced from my mouth as the Joker struck me in the cheek, hurling me to the ground. Gasping, I felt blood dripping from my mouth, and I pushed down the urge to gag from the metallic taste. I stared up at him in shock as he took the step that brought him so that he was towering above me before crouching down. He took my burning cheek in his hand, guiding my tearing eyes up so that we were looking directly at one another.

"You _never_ tell me what I can or can't do," he said. I could hear the seriousness in his voice, causing me to nod shakily. I wanted to flinch as he got to his feet, but he quickly reached down and grabbed me by the arm, pulling me up with him and wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Come on, you look tired, Cor-_a,"_ he said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. Again I was struck by how quickly he could change as if by the flick of a switch. "I'm sure I can fix that," he said, grinning.

He turned us toward the door, glancing back and giving the others a look before starting to walk us in its direction. Looking back, I watched John quietly take Kimberly's arm and put it round his neck, supporting her as they followed behind us at a steady speed. Relief filled my body at the realization that we weren't leaving her behind, that the Joker was allowing her to come back with us. But also I was puzzled: why? I frowned, the voice inside me supplying it could only have been because of me. He had been about to leave her.

Pushing this from my mind for now, simply glad Kimberly hadn't been thrown aside and left for dead, I focused back on avoiding the dead bodies that were all over the floor, sadly stepping over the two guards on the ground again as we went back out into the corridor and headed for the fire exit, still stuck to the Joker's side.

As we stepped out of the building, the sounds of sirens immediately met our ears, the chaos from the parade still definitely in the air. The Joker simply gripped my hand tighter and tugged us over to a big, black four-by-four that was parked in front of us, one of the cronies still in his Honor Guard uniform behind the wheel. Catching sight of our group, he started the ignition as everyone climbed in. The Joker sat down next to me on the row behind the driver's seat, swapping his hold on my hand to rest his arm around my shoulders as he relaxed into the seat.

"No detours this time, driver," he said just as I felt John and Kimberly settle behind us. As subtly as I could, I turned my head to look back at her, but she simply avoided my eyes. Sighing, I faced back to the front, feeling the Joker's fingers stroking my shoulder. I repressed the urge to shiver, feeling goosebumps raising on my arms, and it wasn't because of the cold.

The drive felt short, whether it was because the roads were relatively empty or because the journey back to a place always seems faster, no matter how far the distance you travel. The car was silent, everyone caught up in their own thoughts. No one felt the need to speak, not even Caleb or John, who I had seen liked to have their own small conversations whenever they could. It was just another reminder that they were people, with the need for social contact.

I bent down my head and closed my eyes, already feeling the burning inside my sockets. I scrunched them shut, almost wanting to pummel them out so I didn't have to feel the need to cry anymore.

I didn't realize I had drifted off or know how long for, but when I finally opened my eyes again we were no longer in the car, and I felt the sensation of being carried. My senses rapidly returning to me, I blanched at the fact that I was in the Joker's arms and he was transporting me bridal-style into the house. He looked down at me.

"Awake, are we?" he asked, chuckling. I immediately struggled to get out from his grip but he simply kept on walking, taking me further into the house and up the stairs. I blinked as we entered the master bedroom, already feeling the warmth of the house. I didn't want to admit it; there was a comforting feeling to being back here, in a place that was meant to make its inhabitants feel safe and secure. As the Joker lowered me down onto the bed, the question came to my lips before I could think fully about what I was doing.

"Who lived here, before?" I asked him, as he sat himself down on the bed beside me. He leant back on his arms, the buttons on his Honor guard uniform glinting from the light of the lamp. He shrugged.

"A family. The usual, four point five people. Don't worry, I made it quick for them. All I needed was their place." He giggled, and I felt bile rise in my throat.

"Don't you feel any remorse at all, killing someone, let alone a whole family?" I asked, using more anger in my voice than I knew I should have, but I wanted to turn the tables on him for once, have him answer to _me_.

He scrutinised me, licking his lips.

"They're just _people,_ Cora. I just did what they would have done to each other given the right ... _push,"_ he ended, grinning darkly. I gave him a sceptical look.

"You think everyone is like you deep inside?" I asked. He leaned closer, causing me to back away slightly on the bed, staring back at him carefully.

"All it takes, is one tumble over the edge of the cliff. You can't come back from that. And you know the thing about madness, Cora? It doesn't _separate,_ it doesn't _filter_ us. It doesn't choose to take someone based on what they did or didn't do. That's what makes it beaut-i-ful, like _you._ It's _fair_."

I shook my head. "You're crazy, absolutely crazy."

"Well, there's arguments for and against," he said lazily, before grinning cheesily at me, showing off all his yellow teeth again. "But you and me, we have all the time in the _world."_ He patted the bed next to him before standing up.

"Now, I _suggest_ you start getting ready for bed," he said, and it was then I registered with surprise the light outside already starting to fade. "There's going to be an important press conference tomorrow, and we need to be up _nice_ and early. Believe me, doll, you don't want to miss this."

I don't know what triggered me to do what I did next, whether it was because of the prospect of another night under his scrutiny or the events of today, I wasn't going to just let him leave without some more answers.

"When are you going to let me go?" I said, causing him to stop in his tracks. He turned around slowly, looking me dead in the eye.

"You and me, we're in this _together," _he said gutturally. "No matter what you use to try and convince yourself, you can _never_ turn back from this, Cora. You're mine now."

He finally left the room, slamming the door so that some of the furniture trembled. I hit the bed next to me in frustration, getting up to pace. Why wouldn't he tell me why he'd taken me? He'd torn me away from everything, dragged me into the center of something that was a lot bigger than myself, a master plan to take Gotham's soul. What was the motive behind my kidnapping? And why was it that everyone in the Joker's inner circle seemed to know except me? Would any of them tell me, either Caleb, John, or Kimberly?

It was just then that there was a knock at the door, and Caleb poked his head around the door.

"Clothes," he said, holding out a pile of fabric. "Oh, and you can use the shower if you want." He gave me a brief smile, leaving them on the chest of drawers and going back down the hall before I could thank him.

Picking them up, I saw that they were a pair of pyjamas, a soft, pale lilac t-shirt with some shorts. I ran my thumb over them, a little surprised with this small bit of comfort. Sighing, I decided to go straight to the bathroom to have a shower, noticing how there was no lock on the door which, once the water had warmed up enough to get in, made me lather up with some rose-colored soap twice as fast. Nonetheless, the feel of the hot water as it jetted against my skin was almost therapeutic, hearing nothing but the sound of what could have been an Amazonian monsoon around me when I closed my eyes.

I washed my hair as well, noticing how there was some jasmine-scented shampoo and conditioner on the little tray on the wall that didn't look like they had been used. I decided not to think too much on this, already feeling uneasy.

Once I was done I stepped out of the shower and quickly began to dry off with one of the fluffy towels, feeling a lot better. The little wash I had managed to have at the sink this morning (which felt like it had been weeks ago now) had been nice, but it felt good to be completely clean and fresh now. It was the tiny things that made my spirits rise now, and this was how I knew I had to be if I was going to survive this.

Ringing out my hair and pulling on the pyjamas, I went back out into the bedroom and climbed into bed, bringing the covers up under my chin to help warm myself up. My mind turned to Kimberly. Was she okay?

The Joker wasn't sentimental. I knew he would get rid of her when it was clear she could no longer prove her worth staying here. I didn't know anything about bullet wounds, let alone in the foot, but somehow I knew she must have been able to patch herself up. She was tough.

Just then someone gave a knock at the door. Not knowing if it was the Joker come back to check on me, I immediately turned onto my side and tried to breathe as someone would if they were asleep, hearing them step into the room.

"I know you're awake," Kimberly's voice sounded.

I let out the breath I was holding, letting go of the tension in my limbs. Resurfacing, I sat back up to see Kimberly standing by the door, her arms folded and looking uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" I said gently, gesturing downwards with my eyes. She nodded.

"Yeah, it's only a flesh wound. It should be fine." We gave each other a small smile, and I could see how relieved she was that it wasn't something more serious.

"Look," she said, looking like what she was about to say was going to be difficult, "I wanted to thank you for doing that for me earlier. You know, saying that stuff. Convincing him to take me with him. Sometimes, he does things or says things and ... I don't know why."

She was looking down at her hands, frowning at them. I nodded, knowing that there wasn't a thing I could say that would make her see how she was being used, how she really was worth more than that. I took a deep breath.

"That must be hard," I said thoughtfully, making way for her to sit on the bed. She crossed her legs, and for a moment she looked a lot younger than she was, like a teenage girl who needed to get some things off her chest.

"We just have a special ... thing. I've been with him for months now, and, I'm just waiting for him to tell me how much I've done for him, because I have done _everything_ for him. But then, when you came along ..." She chuckled, shaking her head. She ran a hand through her hair.

"What?" I pressed, my heart thumping at the possibility of some more insight here. She shook her head.

"I don't know. But anyway, I just wanted to say ... thanks," she said, giving me a grim smile. "I do appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," I replied, giving her a small smile of my own. She took a deep breath and got up off the bed.

"I'd better go, he doesn't know I'm here," she said, suddenly looking around nervously. I suddenly started feeling anxious too, knowing the Joker could be here any second. "I'll see you in the morning."

"See you then," I said, nodding, and she quickly left, closing the door quietly behind her. I pushed a hand through my own damp hair, feeling like I had finally understood a large part of her character.

Though I knew she wouldn't want me pitying her, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She honestly, truly believed that the Joker deep down returned her feelings, that he was human enough to even feel that way towards another person. It made me want to shake some sense into her, but I knew it would be futile and she would probably go back to hating the sight of me again. I was glad that we were on what seemed like good terms now. Maybe sometime soon, once I was gone and some more time had passed, she would finally leave the Joker and try to make a life for herself, one without the constant danger, death and madness that one alongside him meant.

Sighing tiredly, I settled back down beneath the covers, pulling them completely over my head. Tomorrow was in touching distance, and now that we were on the threshold, I could almost feel the Joker's excitement as he counted down the hours.

I had lost track of time by the time I got to sleep, not knowing whether it was still the beginning of the night or the later hours as it got closer to the morning. But what I was painfully aware of until the point at which I finally did fall fast asleep, was the recurrent sound of the door opening and closing quietly as someone in the hall gazed at me for a moment each time before disappearing back into the darkness of the house. And that scared me more than any nightmare I could have.


	20. Passion and Lust

_**A/N: This is a huge thank you to everyone that has been reading and also to Deni316, LovelaceEnvy and KhaleesiStormborn for your follows, you're all amazing! :)**_

_**To DRAGONZRULE: Thank you so much, that really means the world! I love that song, and it really does capture OCs like Kimberly's feelings. I really do feel sorry for her in a way when I'm writing, cos we've all felt like that in some way shape or form. Thank you! :)**_

_**To Guest: I'm glad you did, thank you so much! :)**_

_**I hope you enjoy chapter twenty, we're getting well into the story now! :) Please review to tell me what you think! Btw I would say this in the next chapter if I manage to post it before the 31st, but just in case, Happy Halloween! :)**_

_**Btw, I completely forgot to say when I first posted this chapter that the line "The secret to humor is surprise" is actually a quote by Aristotle! It just fitted so perfectly here, I could totally imagine the Joker saying something like that.**_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own anything from _The Dark Knight trilogy._ All I own is Cora and any other original characters!_**

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Everything was red when I woke up. It took me a second to realize that at some point during the night I must have nestled myself right under the comforter, and now, as I slowly opened my eyes, I felt the early-morning sunshine blaring faintly through the red of the fabric. I was in my own warm little shelter for the moment, blinking lazily as I allowed my brain a couple of seconds to slowly re-engage.

Bracing myself, I hesitantly pulled myself half out from beneath the covers, glancing around carefully in case the Joker was poised somewhere to suddenly leap out at me like one of those jack-in-the-boxes, that familiar, evil grin on his face with his pocket knife glinting between his fingers.

I shook my head, forcing away the image. Deciding the coast was clear, I pushed myself up so that I was sitting against the headboard, giving me a 180 of the room around me. I shivered, rubbing my arms at the goosebumps that I realized had already formed. It was cold, but I was sure it was because of the underlying sense of dread that I felt at what was going to happen today that was making my body try to cling to the escaping heat that it had absorbed during the night, under the thick warm duvet that smelled lightly of fabric softener.

Half of me wanted to just climb back under and wait for him to simply come here and drag me out, kicking and screaming, but I knew there was no point in protesting. There was no escaping him or shutting him out. At least like this, I could face him head-on, let him know that there was some pride still left in me, when everything else was gone.

I brought up my knees, hugging them to my chest as I stared at a patch of fabric on the end of the bed, my brain ticking. What was going to happen? What kind of terror did the Joker have lined up for the city today?

There was a knock at the door, and before I had time to try and ready myself Kimberly had already poked her head around.

"John went out and got us some breakfast. You might as well join," she said matter-of-factly. I nodded gratefully.

"I'll be there in a minute," I told her, causing her to nod once before disappearing back down the stairs.

I sat silently for a moment, already feeling the hairs prickling on the back of my neck at the thought of bumping into the Joker on the way down, but the promise of food was far too important to pass up. I was weak, very weak, and I needed to get some kind of sustenance into me if I wanted to carry on like this.

Pushing away the covers and climbing off of the bed, I felt a twinge of gladness again that Kimberly and I were now in a better place. In a way, it was like I had an ally now, someone who would keep me in the loop and, maybe, provide some answers to the many questions I had. My curiosity had grown into one of desperation, a sense of urgency plaguing the back of my mind that made me want to spend whatever little time I had to myself to work out exactly what had brought me here, why the Joker wanted me. The looks he gave me, the times when he would stroke my cheek or kiss me ... I wasn't sure I even wanted to know what they meant, but for my own sanity, I had to find out.

Shaking my head, letting my mind become distracted by the possibility of food again, I decided to pick up this thought process later and try and grab something to eat while the offer was still open. Not having anything else to change into, staying in my lilac pyjamas, I slowly began to make my way downstairs, rounding the corner and stepping hesitantly into the living room where a large table near the window had been loaded with bags of McDonalds, mixed in with a heap of empty packets and cartons.

Kimberly gestured to me from behind them.

"Park it here," she said, looking back down at whatever she was eating.

Feeling glances from Caleb and John who were sitting over by the TV, I went over to sit down on the chair beside her, not sure whether to help myself. Kimberly glanced up.

"It's not poisoned," she assured me, and I let a small laugh escape my chest.

"Thanks," I grinned, before hesitantly taking something out from one of the bags that was nearest, unwrapping what turned out to be a burger. I began to eat, glancing around cautiously. It was then that I realized that Kimberly wasn't doing the same.

"You're not having some?" I asked. She shook her head, bringing something into view. It was a bowl of cereal.

"Nah. I found some proper food in the cupboards. That stuff will kill you," she said, nodding at the burger I was eating. I felt a small smile cross my face at the irony.

"I'll take the risk," I said, and she chuckled.

"Yeah, better enjoy it while you can."

Taking another bite, I saw Caleb get to his feet from where he had been slouched on the sofa and come over to the table, rustling through the bags before finally bringing out a handful of fries. Kimberly scoffed.

"You're _still_ hungry?" she said. "You're like a bottomless pit."

"At least I know what good food is," he shrugged before heading back to sit back down in front of the TV. As Kimberly was shaking her head, a thought suddenly struck me. I put down the remains of my burger, already feeling full.

"Before," I said quietly, "you mentioned you 'joined' when your brother did. Is that him?" I asked, nodding after Caleb. I watched as she sighed, sitting back up to the table so that she could carry on with her cereal.

"Yeah, that's him. Only we don't talk much anymore. It wasn't like what it was," she explained, toying with her spoon. "When you're with the Joker, you don't really have time to think about brotherly love."

I frowned as I looked down at the table, just making out some lace placemats under all the garbage when suddenly I remembered when we were back at the office building just after our encounter with the Mob and the Joker was ready to leave – had Caleb been ready to leave his own sister behind, too? Were the two of them so far dedicated to the Joker and the crazy life they had with him that a blood bond meant nothing to them anymore?

Just then the sound of a door banging nearby jolted me out of my thoughts, and I felt my fists clench under the table to stop them from shaking as the Joker strode into the living room, back in his usual purple coat and make-up. It was surreal, seeing how almost-normal he looked yesterday, save for the scars and his deep, black eyes. Now, he was back to how I'd grown used to him, the face with the wide, ruby-red smile from my nightmares.

Looking around the room, his eyes suddenly caught mine, and before I could get up he had already strode over and scraped around my chair so that I was facing him and put his arms on either side of the back so that I was literally caged in. He leaned his face closer to mine.

"Have a good sleep-_ah,_ Sleeping Beauty?" he asked, and I tried not to cringe away from his sour breath clouding my nose. He touched our foreheads together for a second, and I wanted to shiver as I remembered him checking on me throughout the night last night.

"I hope you did, we've got a big day today!" he said, pushing himself up and clapping his hands. I got to my feet and carefully side-stepped him as he looked at John and Caleb. "How long until showtime?"

"One minute," said John, causing the Joker to grab my hand excitedly and tug me over to the couch. I could hear his raspy breathing as he pushed me down roughly and sat down beside me, leaning back and throwing an arm around my shoulders. Behind us, I felt John grab the remote and turn on the TV, flicking to GCN just as Kimberly and Caleb came and sat nearby.

I focused in on the broadcast, the screen cutting to a podium in front of a mass of news reporters and journalists, cameras clicking as Harvey Dent stepped behind it. As he started to speak, I managed to blur out the others around me, the feel of the Joker's arm around me, and listened closely to the sound of his strong, familiar voice. A voice from the outside world.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming," he said. "I've called this press conference for two reasons: firstly, to assure the citizens of Gotham that everything that can be done over the Joker killings _is_ being done."

There was a swarm of murmurings in the crowd, sounding negative.

"Secondly, is the Batman has offered to turn himself in," he carried on smoothly. "But first let's consider the situation. Should we give in to this terrorist's demands? Do we really think that he's gonna –"

"You'd rather protect an outlaw vigilante than the lives of citizens?" a woman said loudly from the sidelines. The crowd murmured in agreement.

"The Batman is an outlaw. But that's not why we're demanding he turn himself in, we're doing it because we're scared. We've been happy to let the Batman clean up our streets for us until now."

"Things are worse than _ever!"_ someone shouted from the crowd, and again there was another buzz of consensus, louder this time. Harvey nodded.

"Yes, they are." He paused, and what he said next struck me harder than anything else in the world.

"The night is darkest just before the dawn. I promise you, the dawn is coming."

I sensed the Joker beside me snickering and the others nodding as if they were impressed-but-not-really, but inside I was replaying the sentiment, feeling the twinge of warmth it brang at the prospect that maybe the end really was coming, Maybe I really would be free of the Joker for good.

"One day, the Batman will have to answer for the laws he's broken, but to _us._ Not to this madman," he finished gravely.

"No more dead cops!" someone shouted from the back, and the camera showed Harvey shift uncomfortably as the loudest response yet and the sound of clapping met our ears.

"He should turn himself _in!"_ another man exclaimed. Harvey looked at the crowd spiritlessly. He looked like he had failed himself. I watched him sadly, feeling a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"So be it, take the Batman into custody," he said to someone off-camera. The room was filled with confusion, and I felt the same emotion overcome me. They were arresting the _Batman?_ But we needed him, more than ever!

Beside me, I felt the Joker lean forward in anticipation. Harvey looked back out at the crowd.

"I am the Batman."

I stared as Harvey offered out his wrists, and two police officers came up to put them in handcuffs. I couldn't believe it: Harvey Dent was the Batman?

"You've gotta be kidding me," said John. _"Dent,_ the Batman?"

"Yeah, like he _really_ goes out at night and beats up people." Kimberly scoffed.

I slowly turned my head and looked down at the Joker who was silent, still leaning with his arms on his knees in front of him. All I could see was the back of his head and his greasy green tendrils, but I knew he was thinking to himself. Had he known? I suddenly remembered the end of the fundraiser, and the way he had acted when quizzed about not finding Harvey. Had he suspected him to be the Batman all along?

"Well," he finally said, _"that_ sheds some surprising light on things." He got to his feet, his back hunched over.

_"Oh_ my God," said Kimberly, and I looked around to see that she was watching the TV again. "They're taking him to the County Jail!"

The Joker lifted his head up towards the ceiling, closing his eyes in bliss.

"Oh, the _beaut-i-ful irony,"_ he growled, before suddenly looking down at me with a weird expression on his face.

_"You_ look nice and cosy," he said, flicking the fabric of my pyjamas. "I've got a little _treat_ for you. Come on," he said in his nasally voice, taking my hand and yanking me up so that he could drag me behind him out of the room and up the stairs.

We were soon back in the master bedroom, and he hurled me onto the bed so that he could close the door behind us. I pushed myself up shakily, keeping him in my line of sight as he turned back towards me.

"So," he said, stepping closer. "Harvey Dent-_ah._ The Batman. Did you expect that?" he said to me, pausing before carrying on. "That sure was a _shoc-k ... the secret to humor is surpriise."_

I arranged myself into a sitting position, backing against the headboard. I couldn't work out if he was lying or telling the truth. I couldn't work him out, period. There were times when I at least had half an idea of what to expect from him but there were other times where my judgement was blown straight out of the water. No one understood what went on in his scattered mind apart from him.

Realizing he was waiting for an answer, I quickly strung together something tangible to say.

"No ... no, I wasn't expecting that at all," I said, partly to myself. Harvey Dent had been the one that had helped me back at the fundraiser? He had been the one that had saved the whole of Gotham a year ago from Scarecrow and the fear gas? The whole thing felt off to me.

"But _any-way,"_ the Joker said as he leaned down on the end of the bed, smiling at me. I scooted myself backwards slightly, the look in his eyes causing my heart to pick up just as he suddenly started to climb onto the mattress. I stared wide-eyed as my end tilted upwards slightly, watching him as he crawled over to sit cross-legged in front of me.

But it didn't end there. Before I could blink, he had grabbed both of my legs and yanked me closer to him so that they were either side of his body, his hands resting on my thighs. I stared back at the dark, triumphant grin on his face, something twisting in my guts, just as an intense expression crept across his face.

"Now that we're so _close-ahh,"_ he said, chuckling, and he licked his lips. "You're _mine, _Cora. You've always been, and you always _will_ be," he said, leaning closer. I watched as his head bent down so that we were nearly face to face, panic filling my system but unable to pull myself out of his grip like my brain was screaming at me to do right now, both out of an inability to move any part of my body that I had lost all control over and also the gripping prospect of some insight into this nightmare. I felt tears burn at my eyes.

"What does that even _mean? _Please, can't you just let me _go?!" _I said powerlessly, my heart pounding in my head.

"No," he said roughly, shaking his head, not looking at me. "No, ya see, _this_ is what's _meant_ to happen," he said, starting to look more deranged. "And you'll understand – you'll understand what I _did_ for you."

It was then that his lips forcefully attached themselves to mine, pushing me down onto the side of the bed and bringing himself so that he was on top of me. I immediately struggled and writhed under him, hearing a growl-like groan emit from his chest as a hand came up to grip the side of my face, keeping me in place. Feeling his tongue force its way through my lips, with no way to push him off or try and hurt him like last time, I counted down the seconds, letting him have his way with me before after another minute he finally pulled away. I gasped for breath, coughing, feeling his own warm breath hitting my face as he stared down at me.

"Hmm," he growled throatily, resting his forehead on mine. I was too weak to protest. "I _love_ our alone time," he said, sounding like he was catching his own breath as well. I didn't say anything, letting out a small sigh of relief when he suddenly pushed himself off me and stood looking down at me next to the bed.

"Well, come on! We've got something fun we need to do, and then, we're gonna go and have our own little meeting with Harvey Dent!" he said, grinning. I slowly pushed myself up by my shaky arms, knowing he wanted an answer.

"What does that mean?" I said, though I already had a clue. He grinned.

"Oh, you'll see. It's all ... part ... of the _plan."_

* * *

**_A/N: I hope you enjoyed! :) Please review to tell me what you think!_**


	21. Horror Rides

**_A/N: Thank you so much to all you guys that have been reading, and also to Don't-Say-It-Feel-It, SincerelyScribbles, BreKelly2021, Guest, LanoreP, and Snowdevil the Awesome for your author/story follows/favourites and/or reviews, you all mean so much to me! :) Please don't underestimate how much each one of them makes me smile and pushes me to make each chapter as great as it can be :)_**

**_To laurhil: I couldn't PM you, so I just wanted to say here thank you so much! :)_**

**_To DRAGONZRULE: I can't wait for the interrogation scene either, hehe d: Thanks so much!_**

**_I really hope you enjoy this chapter, I definitely wanted some more Joker/Cora time before things go crazy again. Btw there are a lot of references to nature in the second half lol :D I've been writing on my journey to uni each day which is in a very foresty part of the country, and it is now getting very cold and bleak-looking here :) Food for the brain lol. Anyway, I hope you like chapter twenty-one, please review to tell me what you think! :)_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own anything from _The Dark Knight trilogy_. All I own is Cora and any other original characters._**

* * *

"First of all, thank you for coming here today," twenty-six-year-old Detective Roberts said gratefully to the woman that was sitting across the desk from him. They were in a private office just off from the room that served as the control center for MCU, and Roberts could still just about hear the fluctuating buzz of voices and the rustling of documents from his fellow officers on the other side of the frosted glass windows.

It was eleven-forty-five in the morning, and after putting out another message on GCN last night for any information or clues that would help find the Joker and, in connection, Cora Garcia, a few brave souls had stepped forward with their observations from the parade – what they had seen, who they had seen, anything that could get them closer to tracking down their current location.

"It's no problem at all," the woman replied, taking a sip of the water she had gotten from the dispenser just as Roberts began to sift through the file in front of him.

"Okay, I just need you to confirm that this is the girl that you saw." He slid an A4 sheet of paper with a photocopied picture of Cora Garcia towards her.

The woman quickly dug around in her pocket before pulling out a pair of glasses, sliding them on so she could take a closer look at the photograph. She was middle-aged, with smile-lines on her face, and for some reason Roberts sensed a sort of motherly instinct about her. Maybe it was because she smelled of coffee. She nodded.

"Yes, I'm certain that was her," she said, pushing the picture back across the desk. Roberts nodded gratefully.

"Thank you," he said, and he couldn't help but glance at the photograph himself. It was her most recent yearbook picture, the best one they could find. The lighting was good and all of her features were visible so it was easier for people to have a more accurate reference. She was smiling happily, her long hair tucked behind one ear, only a little make-up around her dark eyes.

"She reminds me of my own daughter," said the woman wistfully. "But it's strange, you know. No one really knew she existed until now. I guess her father liked to keep her under wraps."

Roberts nodded absentmindedly, already thinking about it. He too hadn't been aware that the Mayor had had a daughter until it hit the news that she had been kidnapped - by the Joker, no less. But the question that was on all of their minds - why? Flipping through the yearbook that her father had handed in to the station for analysis (what sort of clubs did she take part in, what kind of friendship group did she have at school?), Cora Garcia was just an ordinary seventeen-year-old girl, on the verge of adulthood, who had dreams of going away to college after graduation.

Scanning the picture again, the date when it had been taken was below her name.

_Cora Jade Garcia (aged 16)_

_April 16th, 2007._

A year ago, thought Roberts. Would anyone ever have thought that this was going to happen? Her mother, father? Checking himself, he remembered it was common knowledge that the Mayor no longer had a wife despite how the exact circumstances had occurred before his election. There were only several people that were close to the family that knew what had happened. Gordon, for instance.

Roberts looked down at the file in front of him, slowly pulling out the list of questions he was about to ask the witness in front of him. They were in Gordon's handwriting, and he felt his heart clench a little as he suddenly recalled the events of yesterday, seeing Gordon shot ... _Jeez,_ he thought, _this day just gets harder._

"What has this city come to?" the sound of the woman's voice pulled him out of his melancholy thoughts. He looked back up at her. "What does this psychopath want?"

Roberts felt his brain click back into gear, remembering suddenly why he joined the force in the first place. "Wanna tell me all you know so we can find this son of a bitch?"

She nodded. "Yes, of course," she said, sitting straighter in her seat and putting down her plastic cup of water.

"Okay, tell me everything," he said, clicking his pen and poising to write over his notepad. "No detail is too small."

"Well ... I guess I should start with when we saw the Honor guards turn to shoot at the Mayor – I didn't see anything out of the ordinary before then, except all the security. We were all expecting it, the Joker to turn up ... he got in right under their noses ... Anyway, it all went crazy then, obviously, and I caught snippets of what must have been him running away through the crowd –"

"How did you know it was him?" Roberts asked, knowing he needed some form of verification. She paused, thinking.

"I saw the scars ... and, there was just something about him that was different to the others ... _darker."_

Roberts shifted in his seat. "Did you see where he was running to?"

She frowned a little. "He was heading back down the Avenue, that's all I really saw, it was hard to keep track of him. I twisted my ankle a couple of days ago, you see, so I wasn't too fast on my feet, otherwise I would have been long gone. But I saw him stop when he reached the corner to Brine Street –"

"You're sure that was the road?"

"Yes, I live nearby, that was the only reason why I came to the ceremony. Anyway, it kind of looked like there may have been a van parked there."

Roberts continued scribbling. "Did you see what color, a number plate, anything?" He phrased the question carefully, knowing he couldn't contaminate her testimony.

"No, it was around the corner, all I saw was a wheel. I think there must have been people already there, because then he just sort of _stopped_ and started looking around, like he was looking for someone. He looked ... angry and ... _worried."_

"Worried?" Roberts clarified. What would a man like the Joker be doing looking worried?

"Yes, I can't think of any other word for it. Well, after that he just ran back straight into the crowd, towards the front –"

"Back towards the people on stage? Cops?"

"Well, there was only one reason why he went back, from what I could see. To get _her_ back. She was there, right at the front, trying to get to her dad. And he just _grabbed_ her and started pulling her back in the direction of that corner to Brine Street."

"What was she wearing?"

"A purple t-shirt and some jeans, I think. It was hard to see 'cause they were quite far away."

Roberts was nodding. "Yeah, that backs up what Mr Garcia said. Anything else?"

"I can't think of anything else to tell you, except that she looked scared and he looked less worried on the way back, like he'd got what he was looking for."

"Okay," said Roberts, putting down his pen. "That is all very helpful, Mrs Harold, thank you so much for taking the trouble to come in today. And don't worry, your testimony will be kept anonymous."

"Not at all," she said, "and thank you." They both got to their feet.

"If anything else comes to you, or you see anything strange, you know who to call," he said, opening the door for her. "Have a good day and be careful where you go in the city."

"You too," she replied seriously, stepping outside and into the corridor. Leaning against the open door, Roberts dug around in his pocket and looked at the list of names on his Post-It note.

"Mister Skye?" he asked, and a young man got to his feet, wiping his hands on his trousers. Roberts appraised him subtly; he looked slightly nervous, but like he was trying to overcome it. He gestured towards the office. "Would you like to come through?"

He stepped back, watching as the man quickly strode into the office, and Roberts closed the door behind him. "Take a seat. Sorry, I didn't get your first name on the phone?"

The man slowly turned around to look at him from where he had made himself seated in front of the desk.

"It's Chad. Chad Skye."

* * *

A blanket of cloud had blown in up above us as we made our way to the car. The Joker, pulling me along after him of course, threw open the door to the back and lifted me inside by my waist. I quickly went over to my usual seat, sitting farthest away from the only exit as the others settled in behind me. I had decided not to ask where we were going this time, reasoning that it wouldn't be long before I found out. I was getting used to it now, the constantly being on the move, the dread at what might be about to happen every single second. My body was acclimatising to being in the company of a group of people who had chosen a life devoid of rules, and it scared me beyond anything else in the world, more than anything.

The Joker put his arm around me, leaning his head close to mine so that my heart skipped a beat.

"This is going to be fun," he said lowly, and his nose grazed my ear, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to prickle my skin. Out of the corner of my eye, I felt Kimberly's gaze on us from where she was sitting on the row behind. Now painfully aware of what she must have felt like during the moments when the Joker acted like this in front of her, a bout of guilt blossomed inside my stomach and I immediately shrunk away, not stopping to think about what the Joker's reaction would be to this. Right now, I wasn't thinking about what kind of torture he could inflict on me if he didn't get his own way or I didn't behave in the way he wanted. I would rather let myself take another hit than sit here and intentionally make her have to watch the man she loved with all her heart act like she wasn't even there.

Which was why it was surprising when he simply chuckled.

"A little wriggly today, aren't ya?" he said. "Don't worry, I'm sure you're just excited for our little treat-_ah._ I know you're just _itching_ for some more alone time, just ... the two ... of us."

"Am I allowed to know what it is?" I asked sarcastically, and he grinned.

"Of course not! It's a surprise! Don't worry though, it's not too far now," he said, licking his lips and diverting his eyes to the driver's seat where John was behind the wheel again.

Letting out a small sigh, I turned my head so I could look out of the window. I preferred this car to the van; I could see out at the city as we drove, letting the skyscrapers and metallic infrastructure fill me with a small bit of comfort that, despite everything, I was still in Gotham, the city that was home to me.

"Hey," said the Joker as we suddenly made a turn down a long, quiet road past some copses of trees, and I glanced back at him carefully as we started to accelerate, hoping I wouldn't get car sick.

"I can see what's going on inside your _head,"_ he said, leaning closer again. "The way you look at it, the way you _have_ looked at it. I want to show you something."

It was a couple of minutes later that we pulled up. Turning back around to the window, I felt my mouth drop open slightly as I took in the vast expanse of concrete that had once been a parking lot, and we were right in the center. Caleb slid open the door and we all climbed out.

I shivered a little, holding my arms to shield them from the chilly breeze despite the fact that it was summer. The sky was overcast and I could hear the sounds of trees rustling as the wind blew through them. The sound set me at ease a little, letting a feeling of peacefulness flow through me only for a second.

I didn't say anything as the Joker stepped closer to me, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer to him so that I could share his warmth. I managed to stop myself before I lost my mind entirely from pressing closer into him. Forcing my mind back on the situation, I saw that we were a little out from the city, right on the edge it felt like. Dazed, I couldn't even tell which direction the way back was.

Shaking my head, I looked around slowly, taking in how the lot was at least half a mile in all directions except to the left. Here, there was a large, artificial structure with peeling paint coming off it in shreds, those revolving metal poles you to have to push your way through arranged in a line in front of it. I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion as I asked myself was this an abandoned theme park?

Suddenly I felt the Joker take hold of my chin gently, looking deep into my eyes.

"If you try and run, I'll shoot you," he said, and I knew he was serious like last time. "You won't even make it ten meters."

I nodded, causing him to take his fingers off my chin before suddenly spreading his arms out wide.

"So whaddya think?" he said, grinning. "You know, I did have something else planned for today, more along the lines of just staying home until our big plans for tonight but that's just _so_ ... _boring_. So that's why I thought, let's do something more _fun,"_ he said, his voice turning into a growl.

I vaguely felt my muscles start to tense up, the sense of danger slowly beginning to increase like always. My mouth was dry and I suddenly became hyper-aware once more of how weak my body was as he took a step back closer to me, gripping the tops of my arms tightly. A muscle in his jaw was pulsing, and all I wanted right now was to turn and run away as fast as I could regardless of the consequences at how deranged he looked, his eyes growing impossibly darker.

"You just do something to me, Cora," he said lowly, and I stared back at him in confusion. What did he mean? What did I do to him? Couldn't he just let me go? I was more than happy to leave right this second, pretend none of this had ever happened. Pretend that he didn't exist. I looked back up at him with tears in my eyes.

"Please," I said gently, "you can stop this, you can stop this right now. Please, just let me go. It will be so much easier," I said, my voice coming out in a whisper at the end, breaking. I watched his eyes flicker over my face, all I could hear was the sound of his raspy breathing that was coming out in soft pants.

_"Easier_ ..." he said quietly, almost to himself. I felt my heart skip a beat as his eyes met mine once more, and it was a couple of seconds before a wide grin stretched across his face.

"That's the _problem,"_ he said, and he brought his face even closer so that our noses were almost touching. I stared back into his deep, dark eyes, feeling myself start to shake. "Life is _hard,_ sweetheart. Just look at me!"

He giggled hysterically, taking hold of my hand and pulling me beside him as he started stalking in the direction of the entrance. Hearing the sound of the others' footsteps behind us, I walked next to him absentmindedly, unconsciously stepping over the old fast-food containers and plastic bags that were flying across the ground. I reluctantly stuck close to him, only realizing once we got up close to the entrance that this place was actually kind of creepy. Aside from the prickle of fear that was causing my senses to go on hyper-alert, my head was spinning. What were we doing here? What was going on? Why were we at an old amusement park?

Trying not to let my brain go into over-drive, I hurriedly managed to keep up with his long strides, saying to myself that the only reason why I was staying relatively close to the Joker right at this moment was because of the definite fear that was chilling my heart, not because of anything else.

"This is awesome," I heard Kimberly say quietly in awe from behind me, and I shook my head, smiling a little. She was definitely the kind of girl who liked things like haunted houses and old asylums. I was a horror movie-goer myself, but the sight of Arkham Asylum, a dark fortress on the skyline, was enough to cause a shiver to go down my spine.

Pushing this out of my head, knowing this was no time to think about the Scarecrow right now, I followed the Joker through the metal barriers and under the canopy before finally stepping out onto the grounds. I let my eyes wander around the crumbling signs with letters either faded out or missing, decoration crumbling. The others spread out a little from behind us, John appraising one of the little vendor huts to our right. It was strange but I felt grateful they were there, especially when John turned around and gave me a look that said he was just as confused as I was right now. A little further in the distance, I felt my eyes suddenly drawn to an enormous rollercoaster stretching up above us, it's track sweeping and swerving up in the sky. The ultimate high for an adrenaline junkie.

"Why are we here, Boss?" Kimberly asked, still sounding excited. The Joker didn't turn around to her.

"Pure, simple, _fair_ ..." he said in that nasally voice as his eyes swept around, not sounding like it was meant to be a reply. He turned to me. "That's what a life of chaos would be. Which is what I want for _this_ city," he explained in a reasonable tone of voice. He looked around again. _"Mine."_

I gasped a little as he suddenly strode forward again, tugging me with him behind him. What did he mean, what was going on? Sighing, I shook my head. Even I should know by now that whatever went through the Joker's head was not decipherable, was not meant to be understood by anyone other than the Joker himself. Which made it all the more frustrating; understanding my captor, understanding the man who had kidnapped me ... it was a task that I now deemed to be impossible.

We went past more paint-flaked stalls and side attractions, the air seeming to get colder as we went further into the park, until we finally reached a fence with a sign that read **STAFF ONLY**, the chain broken and a padlock hanging off of it. Pushing open the gate with a squeak, the Joker pulled me inside. My eyes caught upon a set of stairs that led all the way up to the highest point of the rollercoaster that we'd seen from the entrance, and I felt my head spin slightly, unable to comprehend it.

"We're not going up there, are we?" I asked softly. The Joker squeezed my hand tightly.

"Of course we are!" he said, before looking down at me with an intense expression on his face. "Come on, darlin', where's the fun in being scared?"

I let out a small sigh as he started pulling me up the rickety stairway, vaguely hearing someone's footsteps behind me. The Joker turned around to whoever it was.

"You three stay here and keep watch," he said, and I looked over my shoulder to see that it was Kimberly who was behind me. I felt something clench at my heart again as I took in the sight of her deflating slowly, her face falling. I tried to make eye contact as she quickly turned around and went back down the last few steps to the ground but she didn't return my gaze, walking somewhere on her own.

I was suddenly tugged out of my staring sadly after her when the Joker yanked me up the stairs after him, leaving me no room but to follow after him reluctantly, only vaguely taking in the dizzying heights around us as we increased our distance from the ground. It was a couple of minutes later that we reached the top, a small platform with only some metal rails at chest height to stop people from falling. The wind immediately whipped my face as we left the relative protection of the stairwell, stealing the breath from my lungs. I felt my hair whipping about behind me, goosebumps appearing on my skin.

The Joker stepped behind me and pushed me over to the rail. "Our city," he said behind me, and he wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. My stomach tied itself into a knot, fluttering slightly as I took in the vast 360 view of Gotham city in the distance, its skyscrapers almost seeming to touch the blanket of cloud that loomed over it.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? A whole city, perfectly poised, about to be plunged into anarchy. We're right on the edge of that cliff, right on the verge, and you've never felt more ... _alive."_


	22. The Best Medicine

_**A/N: This is a massive, massive thank you to everyone that has been reading and my returning readers for your reviews, and also to DarkCat19, Everest101, Aly Goode, Maddell, alliesmithok, detailedmemories, TheAmazingMaya, QueenOfNight007, kanax3, L. S. Black, cheatedwithmy360, EverChangingUserName, satelights, and FreeSpiritSeeker for all your author/story follows and/or favourites! They really do mean the world to me :) I really hope you enjoy this chapter, as I wanted to bring in a little more about Cora to help develop her as a character really, as well as Kimberly. I truly do hope she is coming across as a good, fleshed out OC, as that is my main goal for this story. If you have time, please drop me a review to tell me what you think, especially if there are things you think I can improve on!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy.**_** All I own is Cora and any other original characters. Now on to the story! :D**_

* * *

I knew I had to keep my gaze ahead. Not down at the ground fifty meters below us, and not behind me at him. Not at that face that always held the same, predatory grin, the dark eyes I had had to stare back into so many times in the week I had spent with him and the others; I didn't want to admit that I was growing used to them. Growing used to all of this, and not in a good way. It was almost normal to be scared now, being in a constant sense of danger. It was the not knowing what was going on inside his head. I could practically hear his brain ticking like a time-bomb always, on the edge of exploding at any second.

I knew that was what scared me the most about him: what made me painfully aware, no matter how much I wanted to believe otherwise, that I was just a vulnerable seventeen-year-old girl, who had no hopes of saving the day. I couldn't magically transform into somebody else, somebody stronger and wiser than I. All there was, was me. And how could I do this if, no matter how much I tried to fight, the psychopath that was keeping me here had me sinking against the wall whenever I heard the sound of his footsteps coming closer.

I was in the dark. And he was keeping me in it. For one reason or another. Which begged the question: what was the harm of me knowing why he took me? I was gradually piecing together more and more things by the day. But there was one big question mark over one thing: The Mob. Yes - they had wanted someone to take me, and the reasons as to why were not far-fetched - maybe money, leverage. Things were worse than ever for them, what with Harvey's trials.

So how had the Joker become involved? From what I had gathered from their conversation yesterday when they had been face to face, I had gotten the gist that he was (though he couldn't be?) "working" for them? I remembered their expressions when they had caught sight of me, standing idly behind the others. There was some kind of ... suppressed anger upon seeing me with the Joker. But why would they need to feel like that if he was supposedly working for them? Unless the Joker was meant to hand me over?

I shook my head. This didn't make any sense. I was just trying to clear my head when I felt myself being spun around and a pair of eyes stare down at me. The Joker had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Care to free your mind?" he asked, leaning close. "You shouldn't keep things inside." He pretended to unscrew my head, lifting the top off of it like it was a lid and all my thoughts would come flying out of it. I shook my head again.

"It's nothing," I replied. I wanted to get back down to the ground as soon as possible. It was isolated up here, and I didn't like the fact that it was just the two of us. He brought his lips into his mouth, appraising me.

"Nothing is always _something,"_ he said. "C'mon, tell me what's going on in that pretty little head o' yours. We shouldn't keep ... _secrets_ from each other."

"I thought you said you always know what I'm thinking?" I smirked, deciding to keep playing coy. Plus, if he could have his secrets, I could keep some of my own thoughts away from him too. He thought for a moment.

"Well ... maybe I just want you to humor me?" he said, playing with a strand of my hair for a second before letting it go again. "Now, c'mon ... don't make me have to _force_ you."

I sighed, giving up. "I was just thinking about ... about why you took me." My voice was now a murmur, and I flicked my eyes up nervously to take in his reaction. I was getting that feeling, of being next to a ticking time-bomb. He had stiffened, the muscles in his arms and back tensing and a pinched look taking over his face. I knew this was when he got frustrated, when he didn't like how things were not going according to plan. But I couldn't let my fear of him stop me now. I needed answers.

I continued to stare up at him silently, not saying a word as I waited. My face was blank. This wasn't an outrageous question I was asking here. I was sure he could answer it in a couple of words, no doubt. Suddenly he let out a huff of a chuckle.

"Y'know, that's what I like about you, Cora. You go after what you want. I like _that-ahh."_

I rolled my eyes slightly in annoyance. "Can't you just give me an answer?" I asked, a bit too abruptly. I felt my heart stop for a second as something in his eyes flashed. _Shoot._

"Careful, beautiful. I don't want to have to ruin our little trip_-ah. _Things don't have to be so lighthearted. I can tell you about how I got my scars, if you like? We never did get round to it."

I suddenly heard that familiar click. My blood went cold as his knife suddenly came up in my line of vision, stroking my cheek tauntingly. My mind immediately flashed back to all those other times when he'd threatened me like this, and brought me pain. More pain than I had ever felt in my life. As if on cue, the cut he'd made to my arm started to throb as if from the memory. I swallowed down the bile in my throat that had risen up. I wasn't sure if I could deal with another of those torture sessions.

I cursed myself when I jumped a little as the Joker suddenly brought up his wrist to look at his watch. I felt a sting as the knife nicked my cheek, and something wet ooze out of it. His eyes flickered back to mine, appraising me for a moment.

"Well, looks like we'll have to save that for another time ... _again,"_ he said humorously. He let out a gibber before leaning closer. "We've got something else we need to do."

He took away his knife and spun me around again, back so that I was facing the city skyline. Behind me I felt him rest his chin on my shoulder, like before.

"But first," he said, breathing hungrily, "one last _look-ahh."_

Confused, I did as I was told for now. I looked - and in the ten seconds that I stood there, taking in the same old city that stared uncompromisingly back at me, I knew there was something different staring back at him; I could sense the way his eyes were flickering in their sockets, breathing raspily, raking over every inch - I knew he was imagining it crumbling to ashes.

* * *

It wasn't long after that that the five of us were climbing into the car we'd left in the parking lot and were setting off back in the direction of the heart of Gotham City. The Joker was driving this time, which meant that I had had to get in the back with Kimberly. The flickers of streetlights casting drawn out shadows inside the van as the sky outside grew slowly darker, another evening drawing in, I looked beside me at her hesitantly. She was sitting by the opposite window, not engaging in the conversation Caleb and John were having, sounding like they were running through names of guns that they were bringing with us to God knows where. There was a sense of enormity, everyone readying themselves for what it was we were about to do. Taking a deep breath, hoping that the darkness of the car would prevent the Joker from seeing the two of us speaking, I managed to catch her attention.

"Where are we going?" I asked her in as inconspicuous a voice as I could.

"We're heading to a warehouse first, just off from the Haberdasheria," she said back, and I nodded, knowing the hat shop. "Then ... we're going to kill Harvey Dent."

I stared at her for a moment, feeling like my brain had all of a sudden been taken over by some drug that was preventing my body from being able to carry out basic functions, like breathe. It was a couple of seconds later that I forced myself to take in a gasp of air.

"You can't be serious," I burbled. She shrugged, giving me a sympathetic look. I turned my gaze back to the window, my heart already sinking inside my chest. _Harvey_ ... I just hoped he would be able to escape. He was smart, and strong. Maybe his brains and his brawn - and also his experience as the suspected Batman - would be enough to get him out of this. I wasn't sure.

"What did the two of you talk about back there?" Kimberly's voice suddenly came from beside me, and I shook my head to clear away my thoughts of the D.A., looking back at her. She had a thoughtful expression on her face. "I mean, back at the theme park, when you and the Joker were up at the top of that stairwell. What did he say to you?"

I thought for a moment on how to answer. There was no way I could lie to her, yet I knew what she was asking, the truth, would be painful. Hearing, seeing the Joker and the way he acted with me, it was hurting her. But despite her belief that the Joker truly did return her affections and that he was just not showing it, it was clear that she was starting to doubt this herself, now. I wondered how long there had been that little voice inside her head that told her that the Joker didn't love her the way she did.

"He said that the city was on the edge of something ... and just how exhilarating that feeling is. That was the crux of it all," I said honestly, not feeling the need to bring up how I had antagonized him after that. I looked back at her, wondering if she believed me. It was a couple of seconds until she started to nod.

"Yeah ... he says stuff like that all the time," she said, not looking back at me. I nodded absentmindedly with her, staying silent so she could be alone with her thoughts for a moment.

"Kimberly ..." I said tentatively, hoping that the right words would come. I had always found it difficult talking to people on a level like this, and now was no different. "There are people you just - can't love. For your own good. Because you deserve better. The Joker is ..." I glanced at the windscreen mirror, praying I wouldn't see his eyes staring back at us. Thankfully, he was still focused on the road. "I know you have feelings for him ... but he's one of those people that you shouldn't have them for."

She looked back at me, and took a deep breath. "I know. But I can't stop myself," she whispered, and I nodded in understanding. "You must have felt it for someone, too?"

A small twang pulled at my chest. I pushed it down, flickers of memories entering my head. "Yeah. There was a guy, who I met at school. He was a couple of years older than me. Actually quite a few. And, we just got talking, out of coincidence. We were quite close," I said, turning to see that she was listening intently. I sighed and carried on. "We got quite close. I couldn't even explain what our relationship - friendship - was. It went on for months. I didn't tell anyone, not even my dad, because I knew he would never approve. Because ... the guy, he was just ... odd. And I didn't think anyone would understand him but me. Which was dumb, I know. That was until, I found out that he wasn't who I thought he was."

I saw Kimberly's eyebrows furrow. "What do you mean?"

I swallowed, trying not to let the emotion spill out of me. "I found out he ... he killed someone. And then another, and another. He was a psychopath."

Kimberly was nodding. I was glad that she wasn't reacting like she was horrified, which I realized was because she was so used to murder and psychopathy that it wasn't too big of a deal for her. Even though Gotham had its fair share of evil villains in the making, the Joker was definitely on a whole different scale.

"Well, anyway, I had to stop meeting up with him, obviously. But he didn't want to stop seeing me. And, things just got very ... hard, and weird. He would try and find me."

It was then that the car came to a stop, immediately jolting us out of the little bubble the two of us had been sitting in. Shaking my head, pushing all the memories out of my mind, I let the Joker pull open the door and yank me out by the arm, dragging me behind him. We had parked up in a quiet street, the sky up above us now a beautiful purple as the sun dipped below the horizon. The evening air was cool and still, and I realized this was the calm before the storm. What was going to happen to Harvey?

The Joker took us around the back of a large brick building, wrenching open a metal door and stalking inside. I blinked in the bright lights overhead, taking in our surroundings. We were, as Kimberly had said, in a small warehouse. The only thing inside however, was a large truck that was parked in front of a metal grate that I guessed was our way out. The Joker stalked over to the front of the trailer, where there was a man who looked to be in his late fifties leaning against the side. He was wearing glasses, and a cowboy hat.

"Ah," said the Joker, letting go of my hand and striding over to him, clapping his hands together, "just what I _wanted._ Now, c'mon, old fella, up we go." He opened the door to the driver's seat and pushed the man up in front of the steering wheel. Other men had also appeared, wearing the same hard clown masks that they had worn to the fundraiser. I watched as John, Caleb and Kimberly started helping them load the hauler with guns, packs of bullets, and something that was in a large, long case that John had to hoist over his shoulder to carry it inside.

As the Joker took out a shotgun, I looked up at the side of the truck, seeing that there was a phrase on the side of it: a red **'S'** had been spray-painted in front of **'LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE'.**

"You like it?" came a familiar voice, and I felt a shiver go down my spine as the Joker's arm went around my waist. "I just thought it needed a bit of ... _pizazz,_ if ya know what I mean."

He was holding me close to his body, the shotgun dangling loosely from his hand. He was warm, like he had been back at the park, and again I had to stop myself from drawing closer to him; this warehouse was very drafty, after all. But I still felt my stomach tie itself into a knot as the grin on his face changed into a more serious expression.

"Now, _tonight,_ is gonna be a _big_ night, Cora. And things are gonna get _real_ _fun-ahh,"_ he said, growling a little in excitement. "But, I need you to know one little thing." He stared down at me intently.

"What is it?" I asked curiously, frowning in confusion. A weird feeling was swirling in the pit of my stomach. All I could describe of it was that it was a mixture of fear, foreboding, and a suspicion that told me that tonight was actually going to be a whole lot bigger than it seemed. The Joker licked his lips.

"That this _isn't_ the _end._ That you and me, it's _all - part - of the plan._ And not to worry your pretty little head about anything," he said amusedly, probably because of the bemused expression I had on my face. "Because we won't be apart for long. You can count on that."

The confusion in my head, the tantalising excitement at what was happening right now only deepened when he suddenly leant down and laid a single kiss on my forehead. A farewell. I couldn't believe it. Was he actually letting me go? Was I actually going to be free of the Joker once and for all, _tonight?_ My head was pounding, my heart was speeding, and a grin was threatening to take over my entire face. I was going to see my dad again. I wouldn't have to be frightened, ever again. I couldn't wait.

But as the Joker led me over to the hauler and lifted me up into it, the engine starting up with a ravenous whirr as the others joined me in the back, I couldn't help but ponder over his last sentiment, the words that still instilled a flicker of worry in my heart and fear in my belly at the terrifying message that they implied.

_We won't be apart for long. You can count on that._


	23. Showtime

_**A/N: Hey, everyone! :) I do apologise for how long this took, exams just completely overtook this and last month. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas, and also Happy New Year! :D Back to the story, thank you all of you that have been reading, that have followed/added this to their favourites, and/or reviewed, you guys are absolutely brilliant, and all your names are below. Also a couple of reviewers asked me after the last chapter whether the guy that Cora was once with some years back was actually the Joker, and the answer to that is that it wasn't :) Don't hesitate to ask me any more questions, I love talking to all of you!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy**_**. All I own is Cora and any other original characters.**_

_**Thank you to my new readers for everything NostalgicDemise, R. becka, annetrindad1, devi ramnarine, CfCandyGirl, TrinazZ, LadyScatty, spoopyflowerkitten, NerdyNini, lunabloodmoon666, EllaBellaxox, selenastarsparrow1230, ArisuTamaZuki, Guest, Solane Helsalrogo, water goddess 19, and hello. berkeley.**_

* * *

I heard the Joker climb up into the passenger seat. The elderly man with the cowboy hat was going to drive. Where this time? I didn't have a clue.

I had taken a seat on the floor, away from all the bags the others had loaded inside. I was sitting near the cab, which meant that the sound of the Joker's voice as he gave directions to his comrade up front was meeting my ears. I sighed, already feeling the mounting tension in my limbs, unable to relax myself in these last few moments before the action would begin. There were no windows in the back, just four metal walls. I wondered whether the Joker was used to this: had he been in jail before?

Caleb was pulling the large side door closed, shutting us in. The hauler was now practically pitch black, so black in fact that I couldn't see my hands when I put them out in front of me. The only light that prevented the hauler from becoming a cave was the crevice between the bottom of the door and the floor of the hauler. I wondered whether this was how cattle felt on their way to the slaughterhouse.

Pulling me out of my depressing thoughts, I shook my head as someone sat beside me. It was Kimberly, barely able to make out her angular, pale face as my pupils became more accustomed to the lack of light.

"You okay?" she said, focusing on the handgun she had in her hands. "You look more freaked out than usual."

I shrugged, but I'd heard the emotionlessness in her voice, towards me. I wondered if she had seen the Joker and I a moment ago, and my heart twisted again with guilt. I knew I couldn't exactly help it, but just the thought of her eyes as she watched how the Joker was with me made me want to tear my own soul out.

"It feels different this time," I replied, my head spinning. I couldn't wait to get away from here, away from _him._ To be and feel normal again. To be with my dad. But what about them, the others? Kimberly? Caleb and John? They would all probably stay with him, carry on as before. The life they had all chosen. My eyes filled with tears as I suddenly remembered the man that hadn't wanted to carry on like that. The man who was most likely dead right now, because of me, because he'd chosen to help _me._ I leant my head into my hands, the dark feeling almost like an old friend right now. All of this was wrong. All of it. When was it going to end? When was it going to finally stop?

I was too oblivious to my senses for a good couple of minutes until I realized that we were on the move, the hauler swaying slightly as the wheels rolled menacingly down the city streets. I tensed as we came to a stoplight, hearing the cowboy up front jamming down on the horn. I guessed the Joker was impatient. I braced myself.

"Hey, you wait like everybody else, pal -" a voice came from outside, almost immediately cut off by the sound of a gun being cocked and then shot. I felt sick, a shiver going down my spine. A couple of seconds later we pulled away, steadily gaining speed. The others around me began to get to their feet, all of them holding a gun of some kind. I stayed where I was, my heart thudding in my chest. Where were we?

It was then that the cowboy pushed his foot on the gas and accelerated - a jolt rippled through the van and everyone in it as whatever that was in front of us was rammed out of the way. Breathing shakily, I felt my stomach turn over as the door to the hauler was pulled open a little and the Joker jumped inside, giggling. I stared at him, seeing the excitement in his eyes as Kimberly jumped to her feet to my left.

"It's showtime, ladies and gentlemen!" he yelled, grabbing the gun from Caleb. "Let's leave them _reeling," _he said, baring his sour, yellow teeth. Looking around, I gasped slightly as his beady eyes suddenly captured mine from where I sat in the corner, still shaking a little after the collision. The cowboy had started driving us, making a hard right so that everyone had to steady themselves. The Joker grinned at me darkly. Outside, the sound of a horn from a passing car that must have narrowly dodged us rapidly faded into the distance.

"Sit tight, beautiful," he told me. "We got a Batman to find!"

I watched him turn around. He was holding onto a rope from the ceiling to keep steady, and he reached forward to slide open the door. The others gathered behind him, the noise of the road assaulting my ears. It was then that he began to fire at something ahead.

I held my ears, working out all of a sudden that this must be Harvey. Fortunately, from what I could see of the Joker's expression, it didn't look like he was having much luck. I silently thanked God that he seemed to be at a disadvantage here.

It was after a moment of rapid shooting that he held out his hand for something. I stared as Caleb, who was kneeling next to him, cocked another gun and gave it to him. These shots were louder, sounding like some kind of shotgun. The Joker knelt down, trying to get a better shot. Peering closer, I could see now that the target was an armoured police van that was being rammed up the backside by another truck, manned by another one of the Joker's cronies. My heart was pounding against my chest, flinching with each shot, knowing that there was a good chance that one could go through _me._

I hurriedly pushed myself further back into the corner at the sight of what came next: the biggest gun that I had ever seen was being passed to the Joker. I watched in shock as he mounted it over his shoulder and took aim. A blast of fire came out of the end as some kind of rocket bullet exploded into the back of the police car in front of the truck. I gasped, feeling the heat hit my cheeks. I braced myself as Caleb handed him another one, pressing my hands over my ears this time. I was definitely going to have lesser hearing if I ever got out of this. I cringed as the Joker unloaded the next bullet, this time causing the police car to flip over and land with a crash behind us. Putting down the gun, I watched as the Joker leant out of the hauler, and in that second I knew he was looking for something. But what could he have been looking for? The Batman was Harvey Dent - wasn't it?

It was then that I heard something, the steady acceleration of something approaching. The Joker was watching it too, his eyes fixed on whatever it was that was coming for us. All of a sudden, something black and armoured stormed past us and collided with the truck in the opposite lane that was keeping behind Harvey's van. I gasped, feeling something turn in my stomach. It couldn't be what I thought it was, could it?

The Joker was already loading another bullet into the massive gun. A car must have hit us because suddenly the hauler jerked and we all had to cling on for dear life to not be thrown against any of the walls. I hurriedly braced myself again as the Joker aimed at Harvey's van. He had a clear shot this time, I realized with a twist of my guts. But through my hands that were over my ears, I could hear the same acceleration-like sound getting closer. It was as the Joker released the bullet that the massive black car sliced through the air above the truck and took the shot. My smile had to wait as a cloud of hot debris blew into the hauler, holding my breath to avoid taking it in. Squinting, I felt us come to a stop, feeling the others moving around nearby. As the dust cleared, I let out a deep breath.

The Batman. I _knew_ it.

The Joker had got to his feet, and was now looking around. Catching sight of me, he bent down and seized me by the arm, lifting me up even though my legs were threatening to buckle despite the new bit of warmth that was circulating around my veins.

"Well, that was enlightening," he growled in approval, pulling me down out of the hauler and around to the cab, where I could see the cowboy was sitting slumped over the steering wheel. He must have been knocked out by the blast. I hurriedly glanced around us, trying to see if I could find the mysterious black vehicle but the Joker was already pulling me up into the front.

"Harvey, Harvey, Harvey _Dent,"_ he was saying as he climbed inside. "Oh, excuse me, I wanna drive," he said to him, opening the door and letting him fall onto the ground. "Thank you."

I pulled the passenger door closed, noting that there wasn't a seatbelt. Breathing shakily, I felt my fingers clench onto the seat below me as the Joker pressed his foot down on the accelerator and we began to speed after the armoured van in front of us that was already trying to make an exit. The Joker was singing under his breath as he swerved us into passing cars. He was having the time of his life and he wanted me to know it.

"Can't you feel it?" he suddenly said to me, his voice throaty. "The _fun_ ... it's almost therapeutic, that state of living on a _knife edge,_ of being right in the middle of that moment of _chaos-ahh," _he ended, sounding like he was savouring each word on his tongue.

I shook my head, looking back out of the window. "No," I said quietly. "It's just you."

I felt him look over at me for a moment before turning us hard to the right after the van. We must have knocked into a pillar or something because the whole hauler behind us seemed to reverberate. I tried to keep my hands from shaking, the adrenaline pulsing through my body. I could hear him breathing heavily beside me, sweat meeting my nose.

"I _like_ this job, _I like it."_

He turned us onto a main street after the truck. I could see Wayne Tower at the end, a beacon in the distance. There was also a light in the sky coming for us - a helicopter. The Joker took out a walkie-talkie.

"Okay, _rack 'em up._ Rack 'em up, rack 'em up, rack 'em up."

I watched in dismay as the helicopter seemed to lose control, starting to spin uncontrollably before turning into a fireball once it hit the ground, heading straight for Harvey's truck. My mouth flew open as it collided with the bonnet but otherwise left them unhurt. The Joker let out an evil, hysterical cackle, my heart thudding in my chest as I realized once again how crazy this man was, how truly far gone he had become.

It was then that there was some kind of explosion from a turning ahead of us, and out shot something black with wheels that came to a dead stop, the Batman staring us down. The Joker smiled menacingly.

"Now there's a Batman," he said, just as said man started speeding in our direction. He was only ten seconds from hitting us. My breath seemed to have hitched itself in my throat, my body paralysed.

"Oo, you wanna play, come on," the Joker taunted. I glanced at him in shock, knowing whatever I could say would fall on deaf ears. I braced myself, not knowing whether I wanted to look or not.

_"Come on."_

It was just at the point where I expected the bang that I heard no more than a grappling sound, and the hauler to keep on moving.

"He missed!" I heard someone yell from the back.

I let my body grow loose, lowering my hands from where they had been gripping my arms. I let out a breath - and that was when the earth turned upside down, the truck flipping in the air. I saw the ground coming straight for me, the impending impact that would blast me out of this world altogether.

I readied myself for death once more.


	24. Heroes and Villains

_**A/N: Thank you guys so much for all your follows/favourites and/or reviews, Daydreamer003, Mini-Teahouse, badertotts, meslens, Charlene Clark, in-that-reason, Fire and Ash, HalcyonNightmares, Riven Vode, Sparrowhawk8. 20, and expectopatro-no, and also everyone that has been reading! :D I really hope you enjoy this chapter and I also hope you're enjoying the story! Don't forget to tell me what you think if you have the time by dropping a review, it means the world :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**The Dark Knight trilogy**_**. All I own is Cora and any other original characters.**_

* * *

Someone was saying my name. Warm, haggard breaths tickled my cheek above me.

I tried moving towards it, not yet placing the voice. They were shaking me gently, sounding louder now as the buzzing in my ears started to fade away. I wriggled my fingers, feeling a tingle rise up my spine when something suddenly cupped the side of my face, raspy breaths hitting my nose. I opened my eyes slowly, everything blurry and hazy like I was underwater. I saw him, hovering over me, eyes darting over my face. A one-sided grin pulled up his mouth, but he looked shaken. I wondered if he'd thought he was going to die, too, like I had. The only difference was that he didn't care what happened to him - he was like an entity, with one sole reason to exist. How could someone like him care if he lived or died?

I must have been too caught up in what was going through my mind, still too out of it to register when he took his hand from my face. I only focused back on him when he leant his weight down onto it next to my head, forcing me to look straight at him. I wanted to gulp but my throat was too dry, clogged up with dirt and the stench of sweat.

"You don't need to worry about anythin', darlin'," he said, "we just had a wild ride!"

I stared up at him in confusion, my head pounding. He was licking his lips, seeming both exhilarated and angry at the same time, though I could tell the fall had gotten to him, too. I couldn't help but gasp as I suddenly wondered about the others in the back, glancing around quickly to see if Kimberly and the other two had survived. Surely enough, I could just make out them stumbling around a couple of meters away, looking shaken up but nonetheless okay. A rough hand on my cheek forced me to look back up at the psychopath above me. There was a hard expression on his face, his eyes glancing at something to my right that his arm was still hiding.

"This is gonna be good, doll. You know I'm a guy that just has to return favours," he said, winking. "I'll see you soon."

Staring at me for a couple more seconds, he suddenly pushed himself to his feet with the butt of the gun I suddenly realized he was holding, making it a couple of steps only to fall over again. I jumped when he fired into the ground, my head spinning as I tried to follow him with my gaze, watching as he righted himself and started walking purposefully down the middle of the road.

Frowning, I adjusted my eyes to make out where he was headed. Then I saw it: the Batman in the distance, staring him down as he began to speed in his direction. Pushing myself up by my arms, I stifled a gasp as a sharp pain suddenly jolted through my wrist, crippling me for a couple of seconds. Broken. Biting my lip, swallowing down the bile that had risen up my throat, I managed to shuffle closer to the relative safety of the sidewalk.

When I looked up, I saw the Joker had started to shoot at oncoming cars, forcing them to veer out of the way onto the curb. From where I was sat I could hear him saying things, growling under his breath. He was too far away now for me to catch it, the Batman still tearing closer. I watched in confusion as he slowly came to a stop, standing dead-center in his path. I got to my feet shakily. My eyes fixed on the rapidly lessening distance between them, a million questions going through my head. What was he _doing?_ Was this all some kind of crazy suicide mission? Did he want the Batman to kill him? The realization hit me, understanding flooding through me. He did.

I could only watch in silence, not knowing what to feel as the second in which they were about to hit played out before my eyes: the Batman suddenly swerved violently to the side, skidding past the Joker's stationary body. He was turning to watch in interest as his arch rival slammed into the upturned hauler. Horrified, I stared as the Batman's motionless body fell to the ground, my insides feeling like they'd shrivelled up. It was deathly quiet.

I looked back at the Joker in dismay, disturbed to find him walking towards him slowly. The sound of his knife clicking open made my throat dry up like sand, my mind flashing back to the memories. I shivered, pushing them away as I took in the expression on his face. He was disappointed.

I remembered the drive back from the meat-locker, how he'd been then - annoyed that we hadn't had some kind of shoot-out with the cops that were on our trail.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when one of his goons in a clown mask came out from around the truck. He leant down to roll the Batman onto his back. His body was so limp. My stomach turned over when I glanced at the Joker to see that he was skipping slightly, humming. He was deadly like this, when he drew out each second, making them feel like hours. Its own form of torture.

I turned away … and that was when I saw the SWAT team member, creeping up behind the Joker, gun in hand. He wasn't wearing any headgear, his face out in the open. I squinted closer, my heart thudding. Eyes widening. A swarm of emotion overtook me then, my body feeling like it was going to give out with the weight of them. Joy, relief, confusion, all at seeing the bespectacled face of Lieutenant James Gordon, grim with nerves.

My body felt slack, then. No, we weren't out of the woods, but that was the first time I felt something close to safe, truly safe, in days. Gordon was there, really there, nodding at me with a nervous half-grin before padding closer silently. I knew what I had to do. Just keep calm, and quiet. I couldn't mess this up now.

The goon that had ventured closest to the Batman's body had tried to remove his mask. I gasped a little as he was immediately zapped with some kind of electric shock, falling backwards.

_"Woo ha ha HA!"_ the Joker cackled hysterically. I watched, repulsed, as he jumped over and started kicking and stamping on the man crazily. He even pretended to be electrocuted himself. Spitting at him, he knelt down to the Batman's body, grabbing him roughly.

"C'mon," he growled just as Gordon finally stepped forward, cocking his gun and pressing it into the Joker's neck. My head spun in relief as said man let out a frustrated snarl. "Could you _please_ just give me a minute?"

Gordon pushed him down onto the ground so that he was on his back. He was breathing heavily, his gun pointed down at him.

"We gotcha, you son of a bitch," he told him triumphantly. The Joker let his knife clatter to the ground.

I turned away, letting out a deep, shaky breath. Shivering. I felt like something dark and heavy inside me had disappeared. As big as an organ or a limb, but something that had latched onto me from day one, feeding off of me. Now that it was gone, its absence unnerved me. I wasn't sure what I wanted right then and there. I felt like laughing, but I felt like crying too.

Realizing that I was trembling, I gently lowered myself down to kneel on the ground, sure my legs would have given out on my otherwise. I stared without really seeing, my head spinning with questions. Was this the end? Was it really over?

I couldn't tell how much time had passed until I suddenly felt something warm go around my shoulders and a strong arm help lift me to my feet. They steered me with them gently over to an ambulance that was parked ten feet away. I must have missed the sirens. Even though the lady was talking to me, I couldn't reply, my throat feeling like it had closed up. She seemed to understand.

"There you go, love," she said as she pushed me down gently so that I could sit on the back of the ambulance, facing outwards. I burrowed myself further under the blanket, letting the sounds of conversation and people nearby buzz gently in my ears. There were so many police cars, cops swarming around. The paramedic put a hand on my shoulder.

"You don't have to worry now, sweetheart," she said, looking me square in the eyes. "Everything's gonna be okay."

I swallowed down on the lump that had formed in my throat, nodding. I didn't want to cry. I couldn't.

Hearing her unstrapping a blood pressure meter, I decided to fully take in the scene in front of me. Despite how many people there were, the general atmosphere was calm, colleagues chatting to one another and chuckling. I breathed in deeply, letting the cool night air fill my lungs. I had to double-take when over a couple of heads I suddenly saw Harvey being escorted over to a car. I smiled softly, glad he was alright. I just hoped no one else had been seriously hurt.

"Miss Garcia!" someone called suddenly. Searching around quickly, I blinked when a couple of people who looked to be reporters judging by their appearance approached where I was sitting off the back of the ambulance. They looked shifty. I wondered with amusement whether they'd ducked the yellow tape. "Can we have a few questions?"

"Alright, that's enough!" someone said angrily. I turned my head to see Lieutenant Gordon step into view, pushing them back in the direction of a small crowd of other journalists that were standing together on the sidewalk. I quickly looked away when a couple of them suddenly turned their cameras in my direction and started snapping. Something hit me, then, something I didn't want to admit to myself, because it meant that I was no longer who I once was. I was a celebrity. The broadsheet and tabloid type. The girl people would gossip about in shopping malls, whisper about when I walked past them. Some exotic entity, the girl who survived the Joker. I would never be able to escape it.

Gordon let out a sigh before turning back to me, pulling me quickly out of my thoughts. A grin spread across his face.

"Cora."

I grinned widely, forgetting everything for the moment. The paramedic meanwhile had stepped up into the ambulance to get some bandages.

"Lieutenant Gordon," I said, feeling my eyes burn again in my sockets as he brought me into a tight hug. I sniffed, blinking fiercely before pulling back carefully. I had so many questions.

"It's so good to see you, safe and well," he said, something dark tinging his voice. I nodded.

"It's so good to see you, too … but, I-I was there when you …" I trailed off. My heart thudded sickeningly, feeling like a cold hand had taken a hold of me by my insides. Gordon was watching me, sighing.

"It was to protect my family," he told me, looking pained. "To guarantee their safety as best I could."

I nodded, understanding. I knew I would do the same to protect my dad … my dad. The thought of being trapped in one of his massive bear-hugs entered my mind, then, overwhelming me. I blinked back tears again. When was I going to see him? I needed to talk to him, tell him how sorry I was. How much I'd missed him, how glad I was that he was safe.

I focused back on the man in front of me when he chuckled slightly. His expression was sad.

"You've had to be so brave," he said, rubbing my shoulder that was under the blanket. I felt myself smile softly.

"I don't feel it," I replied, trying not to let my mind wander back onto all of it - everything, the killings, the beatings … they were there, at the back of my head, always lurking in the deepest, darkest recesses … him.

My heart started beating faster as I glanced around the mass of people and vehicles again, something driving me that I couldn't explain. After a couple of seconds, my eyes found him. He was sitting in the back of a police car, looking like he was about to be driven off. A shiver ran down my spine when I realized that he was watching me. A grin tugged at his lips, his eyes dark yet humorous at the same time. Biting my lip, I quickly looked away, pretending that I hadn't been fazed. After all, he was going off to jail, now. That was probably going to be the last time I would see him. I exhaled, realizing that I had been holding my breath.

Gordon had been watching. When I looked back up at him his face was sympathetic, but I could see the fire in his eyes. The kind of one that all good cops have for a man that threatened their city, and in doing so, threatening their loved ones. The Joker was in for one hell of an interview.

"Cora?"

I knew the voice. Comforting and warm, one that I hadn't heard for a very long time. I turned my head to see my dad pushing his way gently through some cops a couple of meters away, his eyes fixed in my direction. I sat up straighter, already feeling the tears running down my cheeks.

"Dad."

Before I knew it I had been gathered up in the tightest hug I had ever experienced, I breathed in his cologne, the smell of fabric softener that we used on all of our clothes. I never knew how much I could miss one scent. As tears leaked from my eyes, Gordon stepping away to give us some space, I felt another gaze boring into me. Opening my eyes slightly, I felt my insides twist again as I realized it was the Joker, the cop car pulling away so that it could speed off down the street. He was grinning again, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. Ignoring him, I closed my eyes once more, letting the feel of my dad's arms around me seep a feeling of security into my skin. I felt warm from the inside out.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered above me, sounding like he was close to tears himself. He rested his chin on top of my head. I shook my head.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, hearing the clicks of photographers from nearby as they captured our moment. But at that second in time, I didn't care. I was safe. The Joker was gone – it was over.


	25. The Interrogation

**_A/N: Exams, a dissertation … this semester really got the better of me, I'm sorry. I want to thank all of you who reviewed, added this to their favourites or followed: Nightlock412, safire08, elljayde, Ellabow123, destineynw, TheFeyRa, augydoggy95, RosalynPetrova, smilin steph, Sakura-chan65, AtinyOceane, gloss97, lette4127, and EveryoneNeedsAnAlpha. It means so much hearing from you guys! I hope you enjoy the next chapter, remember to review to tell me what you think :)_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own anything from _****The Dark Knight trilogy****_. All I own is Cora and any other original characters._**

* * *

James Gordon hurriedly made his way down the corridor, resisting the urge to break out into a run. He had to pace himself. A daunting task lay ahead, but he was thankful that this was one he did not have to deal with alone.

Arriving at the doors of the observation room, he quickly walked inside to find a group of his fellow detectives already standing by the glass, their eyes trained on the madman before them.

"Has he said anything yet?" he asked, and Detective Ramirez shook her head. His heart pounding a little as the gravity of the situation hit him full-force, he pushed himself through another set of doors so that he was now outside the interrogation room. He didn't hesitate; he'd already prepared himself for this.

The buzzer sounded, and he stepped through. His gaze landed immediately on the calm figure of the Joker. He was sitting at the table at the far end of the room, almost completely sheathed in darkness, save for a desk lamp that was weakly illuminating his features. Gordon shut the door behind him, the sound of the hinges protesting loudly grating his nerves.

"Evening, _Com-missioner,"_ the Joker greeted as he made his way over to the desk. He said nothing as he took a seat in front of him, brushing away some dust before resting his hands in a clasped position on top of the table. Letting out a breath, he began the interrogation.

"Harvey Dent never made it home," he stated, letting it hang.

"Of course not," replied the Joker blandly.

"What have you done with him?"

An affronted expression crossed the Joker's face as he said _"Me?_ I was right here." He lifted up his hands to show off his cuffs. "Who did _you_ leave with him with?" he asked. "Hm, _your_ people? Assuming of course they are still your people and not … Maroni's," he trailed off enticingly.

Gordon fought to keep his face a mask. He knew full well what this psychopath was trying to do, but it didn't mean that the words that were coming out of his mouth this very moment were not what gnawed at him inside every day he came to work.

"Does it depress you, Commissioner? To know, just how _alone_ you really are. Does it make you feel responsible for Harvey Dent's current _pre-dicament?"_

"Where is he?" said Gordon, having had enough of these mind tricks. The Joker shifted.

"What's the time?"

"What difference does that make?" Gordon asked steadily.

"Well, depending on the time, he may be in one spot or _several,"_ the Joker replied pragmatically, giving him a look. Gordon stared back, already making the decision as he slid his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small key on a ring. Turning it over in his fingers for a moment, he rose out of his seat.

"If we're gonna play games," he said, reaching over to unlock the Joker's cuffs. He sensed the criminal in front of him glance up at him surreptitiously. Setting him free with a clatter, he swung the cuffs up into his hand. "I'm gonna need a cup of coffee." He turned to walk back towards the door.

_"__Ahh_ … the good cop bad cop routine?" the Joker called after him, clicking. Gordon turned to look back at him.

"Not exactly," he replied just before the buzzer sounded, pulling the door open and stepping out. It was over to _him_, now. He switched on the lights.

Back in the interrogation room, Bruce kicked into action. Grabbing the Joker's head, he slammed it down onto the desk, circling around the table so that the clown could see him. He was groaning.

"Never start with the _head_, the victim gets all _fuzzy_. He can't feel the next –"

Bruce brought his fist down onto the Joker's hand that was laying on the desk, stopping him in the middle of his rambling. The Joker closed his eyes, waiting for the pain.

"See?" he said as the Batman took a seat in the chair Gordon had just vacated.

"You wanted me, here I am," Bruce said.

"I wanted to see what you'd do. And you didn't disappoint," the Joker told him as he leaned closer, a smile tugging at his lips. "You let five people die. Then, you let Dent take your place. Even to a guy like me, that's _cold_."

"Where's Dent?" Bruce asked, tired of these attempts to get into his and Gordon's heads.

"Those Mob fools want you gone so they can get back to the way things were," the Joker said, fluttering his hands before leaning back across the table again. He crossed his arms. "Now, c'mon. I know you're _dying_ to ask what you wanna ask me so let's –"

"Why did you kidnap her?" said Bruce bluntly. It was time that they cut to the chase. This was something he and the whole city needed the truth to, right now.

"You wanna know why?" the Joker asked breezily. "It was to hack off some Mob leaders. Like taking _candy_ from a bunch of kiddies. Those guys are just too much fun to play around with, they really do ask for it, y'know."

"Come on, Joker," Bruce said, watching the clown sigh with a steely expression.

"I took her because I could. I beat them to the punch. She was the perfect hostage."

"You did all this, as some sort of joke on the Mob? How did you even know about her?" said Bruce disbelievingly. "She was kept under wraps until now, never publicised. What use would the Mob even have with a teenage girl, when they're currently being investigated. You asked for no money, no press," he carried on as the Joker became visibly more and more irritated. "What was it all for? Why not just focus on killing me?"

The madman in front of him suddenly let out a manic, high-pitched laugh.

"I don't wanna _kill_ you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off Mob dealers? No, no. No. No, _you … complete … me._"

"You're garbage who kills for money."

"Don't talk like one of them, you're _not,"_ the Joker said seriously. "Even if you'd like to be. To them you're just a _freak_. Like me. They need you right now … but when they don't … they'll cast you out," he told him, looking almost pitying. "Like a leper. See, their morals, their code … it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be."

Bruce glowered back at him, letting him ramble. This man knew nothing about him, nor did he about anyone.

"I'll show you," he carried on. "When the chips are down, these, uh, _civilised_ people … they'll eat each other."

The Joker leaned back finally.

"I told _her_ that," he said, and Bruce felt his fists clench. "She didn't believe me. She's fiery, you know. I could see it in her _eyes."_ He hunched forward for a moment, the corner of his lips tugging upwards darkly. "See, I'm not a monster," he said matter-of-factly, before clapping his hands together. His eyes became dark again. "I'm just ahead of the _curve_."

That was when Bruce lunged for him, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him across the table so that they were now face-to-face. It was time to try and get some real answers.

"Where is Dent?" he breathed dangerously.

"You have all these rules and you think they'll save you," the Joker replied with his neck bent back at an awkward angle. Anger pulsing through him, Bruce shoved him against the wall.

"I have one rule," he growled, venom coating his voice.

"And that's the rule you'll have to break to know the truth," the Joker replied raggedly, still seeming to find all this funny.

"Which is?" said Bruce, glaring at him. He would get through to this man one way or another.

"The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules, and tonight you're gonna break your one rule," the Joker growled back mischievously.

"I'm considering it."

"Oh there's only minutes left so you're gonna have to play my little game if you wanna _save_ one of them," he replied, an impish expression on his face. Bruce hesitated.

"Them?" he asked, hoping for a straight answer. The Joker shifted a little, Bruce's arm still up against his neck.

"Y'know for a while there, I thought you really were Dent. The way you threw yourself after her," he said, breaking out into a laugh. That did it. Using all his strength, Bruce hurled him through the air, bringing him to land on his back on top of the desk. To his dismay, he was shocked to find him still laughing whilst he tried to catch his breath. _Gordon_, he suddenly thought. Grabbing the chair, he quickly strode over to the door and jammed it under the handle, barring them from entering. He wasn't finished yet.

"Look at you go," he heard the madman behind him growl. When he turned around the Joker had already sat himself up, stretching his back with a groan.

"Does Harvey know about you and his _little bunny?"_ he asked, just as Bruce took him by the back of the head and rammed him into the glass, hearing it spider as he fell to the ground.

_"__Where are they!?"_ he roared down at him.

"Killing is making a choice," the Joker replied impossibly calmly. "Too bad my little Cora isn't here to see this," he suddenly added. "I bet she'll love hearing about me –" Bruce punched him across the face.

_"__Where are they!?"_ he bellowed again, his heart pounding wildly beneath his suit.

"Choose between one life or the other," the Joker told him. "Your friend the district attorney, or his blushing bride-to-be!"

Cutting off his shrill laughter, Bruce launched his fist again into the Joker's face. He watched in astonishment as the man at his feet started to break out into another peal of unhinged laughter. The psychopath managed to pull himself up, his back against the wall.

"You have _nothing_, nothing to threaten me with," he snarled. "Nothing to do with all your strength."

Bruce launched himself at him, grabbing him by the shirt and holding him so that he was hovering over the ground. He glared at him with as much hate as he could muster, ready to beat this man into a pulp unless he started cooperating.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna tell you where they are!" the Joker told him. "Both of 'em. And that's the point. You'll have to _choose_. He's at 250 52nd street, and she's, ah, on Avenue X, at Cicero."

That was all he needed. Bruce hurled him to the ground before racing out of the interrogation room, leaving the half-beaten, deranged psychopath behind him.

* * *

I slowly woke from the peaceful, deep sleep I'd fallen into. The room I was in was dark, the window to my left a gateway to a pitch black sky, a blanket of stars twinkling at me from above through the open blinds. The only light came from a desk lamp on the table next to the door, creating a cosy halo of soft orange.

Smiling lightly, I caught sight of a vase of flowers on the nightstand, the delicate snowy-white petals reflecting the glow. Sitting near the foot of the bed, head bowed in sleep, was my dad, coat hung over the back of his chair. Though a relieved smile tugged at my lips, I felt tears prick my eyes. What must he have gone through all this time? What thoughts had gone through his mind?

Sighing, I tried to let these questions dissipate for now, simply revelling in the small comfort of soft, warm sheets on my skin. Appraising myself for the first time, I realized I was bandaged up, gauze covering me from head to toe in various places. Reaching over carefully, I pushed down the covers from my left arm, touching the bandage that was neatly bound around the worst of my injuries. I shook my head, hastily clearing it of the image that threatened to turn my thoughts all the more depressing. I could still remember the pain, turning my head to see blood pouring out of me with that psychopath above me, his dark orbs staring down at me intensely, his eyes filled with bloodlust.

Sensing movement, I looked up to see that the muted TV on the wall was still on, currently tuned into one of Gotham's many news stations. Reaching for the remote on the nightstand, I pressed the 'Subtitles' button, reading the words that flickered onto the bottom of the screen as the reporter delivered the most recent news.

_"__Though the Joker remains in custody, a search is currently ongoing for the missing district attorney, who was last seen leaving the scene of events here in midtown Gotham via a motor vehicle, but that vehicle has still yet to be …"_

"You should be sleeping, young lady."

My gaze flew down from the TV to rest upon my dad shaking his head at me, a small grin on his face. I felt one of my own spread across my lips, but my mind was still reeling at what I'd just witnessed. Harvey was missing?

"You never let me watch TV past ten," I said. He chuckled.

"For good reason."

"Watching TV at night does not kill brain cells," I replied smartly, quoting one of his famous lines at him. It felt good to hear him laugh. Just the sound helped to serve as a reminder that I was safe now. But for however long, I wasn't sure. The Joker had promised he would come back and get me. And though I knew Gordon definitely didn't intend on letting him go so easily, it was hard to forget just how cunning the Joker really was. Pushing this out of my mind, I let my thoughts focus back on what I'd just found out were the most recent turn of events.

"Is Harvey alright? He's missing, isn't he?" I said. A grim expression overcame his face.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding. "He just apparently disappeared soon after we arrested … the Joker. He's not answering any of his phones. Neither is Rachel."

Something inside my stomach twisted. This didn't feel right. Harvey wouldn't just drop off the radar, and neither would Rachel. A voice inside my head was telling me that this wasn't a coincidence.

"Now, come on," I heard him say. He was smiling sadly. "You've got a big day tomorrow. They're gonna wanna know everything, names, places, associates … and just, what happened while he had you."

I nodded, the silence in the room now stifling. I could almost hear his brain ticking, the anger bubbling away like acid in his stomach. I wanted to tell the police everything. Anything I could to make sure that the Joker would be locked up somewhere where he couldn't hurt anyone ever again. He'd ripped so many families apart. I didn't want to think of all the people that had lost their lives to his dreadful schemes.

"Here," I heard, and I turned my gaze to see my dad digging around in his pocket for something. After a moment he brought out a cell phone, reaching over to place it on the nightstand. "I've been told that it might be better for you if I'm not there tomorrow when they ask you for your statement. But I want you to call me on that if you need me, if ever I'm not there from now on. I want you to promise me you will."

"I promise," I replied, smiling a little at this show of protectiveness. Taking the phone, I scrolled through the contacts. There were only two numbers: my dad's, and Gordon's.

"Gordon will be by to see you in the morning, if he can. I know he wants to talk to you about something and just check how you're doing. I –"

He was cut off by the sound of a knock at the door. A police officer leaned in apologetically.

"Sir, I need to speak with you a moment, there's been a development."

My dad rose from his seat, joining the man outside. The officer began to speak lowly to him, looking sombre. I could only imagine what had happened. Sliding out of the bed, I got to my feet, not wanting to intrude but not wanting to just sit there. I began to pace, glancing up at the TV for any more information but the image had changed, showing two people sitting behind the desk and looking deep in conversation.

_"__The question is, why her? Why some seemingly ordinary seventeen-year-old girl? I mean, he didn't ask for _anything_ for her, no money, no following, so why …"_

I couldn't bear to listen any more, turning my head away just as the sound of tyres screeching on the tarmac met my ears. Going over to the window, I peered through to see an ambulance now parked by the emergency entrance to the hospital, staff running forward to meet them. They helped to offload a blood-stained stretcher, wheeling it urgently inside. I felt my heart sink just as I caught sight of a mop of blond hair lolling to the side.

A tear ran down my cheek as I slid down onto the floor, my chest tight as both anger and pain flooded my system. Harvey … This monster had torn us all apart. He'd ripped us limb from limb, and this was just the latest blow.

But, I realized, it was not to be the last that night. As I slipped down beneath the covers, my gaze was captured for a moment by the latest headline that glared harshly at me from behind the screen.

JOKER ESCAPES.

A gust of wind seemed to sweep through the room slowly, my insides feeling like they'd frozen. I had been expecting it, but it didn't make the reality any less terrifying. I wasn't safe. I never had been.


	26. An Interesting Conversation

**A/N: Gosh this chapter took me ages, I cannot tell you how many chunks I wrote and rewrote! I feel good with it now though :) This is a big big thank you to everyone that has been reading, including notallslytherins, Ana4267, Kara Bennett, kimikokimono, Ana Blackstone, Aerhyce, xxVenus16, and Se acerca el invierno for reviewing, following, and/or favouriting :) You guys are amazing! (To the guest who reviewed anonymously: Thank you so so much! I'm so glad you like it! :))**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from _The Dark Knight trilogy_. All I own is Cora and any other original characters.**

* * *

_"He's a credible source, an M&amp;A lawyer from a prestigious consultancy, and he says he's waited as long as he can for the Batman to do the right thing … and now he's taking matters into his own hands. We'll be live at five with the true identity of the Batman, stay with us …"_

I reluctantly drew my eyes away from the television screen on the far wall just as my dad stepped through the doorway, his arms clutching a pile of snacks from the vending machine that was down the hall. I smiled, focusing my attention on the cheese sandwich that was being passed my way with difficulty. It was quarter past four, and Mike Engel was in the studio with his latest segment. In the top left corner of the screen was a feed of a rather nervous-looking Coleman Reese, the blond-haired lawyer who was claiming to have discovered the real identity of the notorious caped crusader, and was now penned to reveal it in less than an hour's time.

As my dad took a seat in the chair beside my bed, I absentmindedly began to rip at the sandwich packaging, fumbling with the hand that wasn't in a cast. Something was gnawing at me, but like most feelings that stemmed off of the same topic, I knew there was no point in voicing it. Plus, I wasn't sure my dad could handle talking about Harvey; too many of his friends and loved ones had suffered from the psychotic whims of the Joker – which was why it felt wrong that the information Harvey had tried to protect was now about to be released. He wouldn't have wanted this; he stood for something far more than just giving into the demands of a terrorist.

Next to me I heard the munching sound as my dad took a bite of his sandwich. It was a couple of seconds before he realized I wasn't eating. He sighed.

"You need some sustenance, Cora," he said seriously, but I could see the softness in his eyes. I knew he was right of course. This was my first taste of real, wholesome food in what felt like weeks. Rare glimpses of fast-food had only got me so far. Taking a small bite, I felt my taste buds go on overload, though all I could think about was forcing down the scraps back in that old store building, devouring them for breakfast in the living area of that house. When I was passed a bottle of Coke a couple of seconds later, the bubbles burned the back of my throat, making me want to gag. I felt sick.

"I need the bathroom," I said, feeling my dad's eyes on me as I slid out of the bed and went through the door at the side of the room, closing it behind me quietly. I leant my head against the wood. What was wrong with me? Why did I feel like this?

I treaded over to the sink, unable to bring myself to look at my depressing reflection. I missed them. I missed all three of them, the Joker's most loyal henchmen John, Caleb, and of course Kimberly. They were a group of people I would have given anything to get away from if this were a week ago, back when it all started. Things had changed a lot since then. Most specifically, the amity I had formed with Kimberly. I wondered what they were all doing right now. Had they managed to slip away when the Joker had been arrested? My head told me yes; they had probably hidden away somewhere, ready to re-join him when their boss returned.

The Joker … his name caused shivers to run down my skin. I looked down at my left arm, a bandage wrapped around my bicep, hiding the cut that lay under it. I touched it softly, remembering those agonizing couple of minutes. He was a part of me now. Tattooed into my head. No matter how hard I tried, he would always be there, his dark eyes scorched into my very soul. I could almost feel his chest on my back, his arm slipping around my waist. The way his breath smelt when he leant his head on mine. His gloved fingers stroking my arm.

I shook my head angrily, forcing these thoughts out of my mind. What the hell was wrong with me? Was I crazy? Taking a deep breath, I let it out in a huff, regaining a grip on myself as I ran some cold water and rinsed my face a little. As I reached for a towel, I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing right at this moment. My thoughts turned to Harvey, my heart giving a pang of both guilt and regret. I had to have been able to have done something. I would take all of the pain he must be feeling right now, just contain it within myself. I would suffer a thousand more beatings if I could stop someone else from feeling the hurt that the Joker had inflicted onto him, and I couldn't help but think of Chad as these thoughts swarmed inside my head. The tanned skin, the wavy, chocolate-brown hair. He truly was my inspiration in all of this. I just wished I had had the chance to tell him.

I had just started to straighten myself up when I heard a knock at the door.

"Cora, are you alright?" my dad called, sounding concerned. Sighing, I went over to the door and opened it before he had the chance to break it down.

"Sorry, I'm okay, I just … needed a minute," I attempted to explain, giving him a small smile to try and convey that I really was fine. He exhaled a little, seeming to appraise me before pulling me into a tentative but reassuring hug. I felt a sense of déjà vu as I remembered the hug all those days ago when I had that concussion. It was the same as it was now: careful, but with enough force to be comforting. Pulling away after a couple of seconds, he gestured behind him with his head, and that was when I noticed Commissioner Gordon standing by the door. We smiled at one another in greeting before he joined us.

"How're you doing, Cora?" he said in that soothing voice of his.

"I'm fine, how are you and your family?" I asked, all too aware of how unbearable an ordeal they must have gone through.

"Doing well … I'm just happy I can go back to them," Gordon admitted. I was just envisioning how relieved he must have been when I felt my dad rest a hand on my shoulder.

"He's going to be questioning you about everything that happened … if you're up for it, of course," my dad added, suddenly checking me over as if my legs were suddenly about to give out from under me. I waved him off humorously.

"I'm fine, I just want to be able to help," I said, my thoughts turning back to the Joker. If I could help put him back behind bars, for good this time, it was my life well spent. Gordon smiled at me positively.

"I know you do. This will only take ten minutes or so." He looked at my dad and nodded his head a little.

"I'll leave you two to it," my dad said, squeezing my shoulder before going over to take his coat and leaving the room quietly. Gordon gestured at me to sit, pulling up a chair whilst I pulled myself up onto the edge of the bed.

"I thought it would be better if I did this myself," he said, a serious expression overtaking his face as he leant forward slightly. "Because there's some things I need to tell you about what came up in the Joker's interview last night."

I felt my heart falter in my chest. "What things?"

"Well, throughout the course of the interrogation we tried to get motives, points of interest, things to follow up on. And, obviously, we asked him about you, why he had taken you," said Gordon, shaking his head as if searching for an answer himself. "He gave us scattered answers, dodged everything he could. But when it came to a motive for the kidnapping … he said that it was only to "hack off some Mob leaders"."

A dubious expression appeared on his face for a moment. "We deducted that the Mob perhaps gained an interest in you at some point as some form of leverage, most likely to get the ongoing court case against them dropped. Now, we don't know if that's necessarily true or not, but, I thought you should know."

I nodded vaguely, letting my mind absorb this information. Going off of what I had witnessed and overheard during my time with the Joker, this did sound like a logical conclusion to come to, but for some reason I couldn't disregard the feeling that there was still more to the story than what the Joker was letting on.

"What else did you get out of him?" I asked. Gordon shook his head.

"Not much. Just a whole lot of rambling. We all knew he was crazy but, not until then did we realize just how much. We've contacted some experts to see if they can get a read on him, try and analyse his former behaviour and perhaps predict his next moves … but it's unlikely," he finished.

"You will catch him, Gordon," I said encouragingly.

"I know we will." He gave me a smile, his eyes flashing with promise. "We all deserve to feel safe in our own city, without some madman threatening our values." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a notepad and pen, suddenly looking up at me apologetically. "I'm so sorry about this …" he said, gesturing at them. "Everything is still so raw." His eyes flickered to my numerous bandages and bindings, but I shook my head.

"Don't be. I want to do this," I said truthfully.

"This will be a lot of help," said Gordon before he began to write. "Okay, the date is July 27th…" he murmured. He looked up at me. "I'm going to be asking you some questions about your time with the Joker," he clarified formally. "Please don't hesitate to tell me anything you can remember, even if it seems unimportant. Believe me, nothing will be." He gave me a look, and I nodded in understanding. We began with the Joker's hideouts, anywhere we had stayed for a period of time.

"The first one was an old store building," I told him, sifting back through my mind. "It was about half an hour's drive away from the center of the city. It felt like an old bookshop or something. It was on the corner, and there was a cul-de-sac to the left …" I said, hoping my spatial awareness was up to par. The second hideout was easier to remember. I explained that this had been a real house at the end of the street, next to a broken fence with some trees. I told him about how it had once belonged to a family of three, a mom, a dad and a little girl. As Gordon noted all of this down, something occurred to me.

"Will you tell me if you find out what happened to them?" I asked, anxious to know more about the family whose lives had been so cruelly taken from them. Gordon nodded.

"Of course. We'll make sure to inform you of any developments we make in this investigation," he assured me. "We're still digging."

Lastly we came onto the block of offices that the Joker had taken us to after we had escaped the parade.

"We met Sal Maroni there," I said hesitantly, and I sensed Gordon lift his head up to look at me.

"Maroni?"

"Yeah, and some other men …" I said, remembering the long table, mobsters in suits all around. "It seemed like they and the Joker had been working together."

"What kinds of things did they talk about?" Gordon asked, scribbling quickly. I wracked my brains.

"Um, the Joker said something about how they had called him about their business with the Batman. They also talked about … me. They didn't say much, Maroni left straight after that," I said, feeling Gordon's eyes on me. "It was like they were angry that he'd taken me. I guess that's similar to what the Joker said," I reasoned, silently recalling my train of thought about the whole incident soon after. I looked up after a moment to see that Gordon was nodding to himself slowly, looking puzzled.

"What is it?" I asked.

"The motive … it doesn't add up," he said. "So, what if the Joker heard that the Mob were going to use you as some kind of insurance that any legal proceedings against them were dropped … privately, of course, this would all be done underground, Judge Surillo and your father were friends, I've no doubt she would have felt she needed to step down and cease overseeing the trials. The Joker removes you from the equation: this whole scheme is thrown out. But the question is, what was to be gained from not killing you and removing you from the equation completely?"

I was silent for a moment as I let my mind fully digest what Gordon was saying. The same question had bugged me for days, just in a very different form. Why hadn't he killed me as soon as he'd got the chance? The things he'd said, the promise that he would come back for me … I could say now with a slight degree of confidence that for some reason that still eluded my comprehension the Joker didn't want to kill me. But yet what I still couldn't wrap my head around, nor did I want to, was the fact that the Joker seemed to hold some kind of interest in me. As soon as I'd had that thought, the memory of what he'd said to me that day of the parade filled my head, echoing around and around.

_"I have a certain knack for knowing when someone is unhappy … when they're craving something more … and you … I know you're one of those people."_

I had no idea what he was talking about. Plus, how he would have any idea what went on in my inner psyche unless he knew me, or someone close to me? My spine tingling as my thoughts treaded onto more and more dangerous territory, I hurriedly pulled myself back to the situation at-hand, shaking my head. Gordon was writing.

"One last thing before we call this a day," he said. "Are there any faces you remember of people who may have been working in conjunction with the Joker, or who may have helped him in some way?"

I thought for a second, just as something of potential importance hit me full-force.

"Before we were about to go to the fundraiser, there was this man who said that he was from MCU and that Maroni had sent him," I said, and I was disturbed to find that the color seemed to drain from Gordon's face. He cleared his throat.

"Can you give me a description?"

"He was in his mid-fifties, I think. He was grey, and he had a gruff voice," I recalled, remembering the moment he had pulled up and approached us outside the hideout. Gordon's pen scratched rapidly across the paper.

"If I were to bring back pictures of all the detectives who work at MCU, would you be able to recognise him?"

I nodded confidently. "I'm pretty sure."

Gordon tucked his pen and the notepad back into his pocket. "Well, that should do for now. Either I or another detective will be back to follow up on that MCU officer you saw and to ask some more questions." He smiled at me as we both got to our feet, and he reached over to rub my shoulder for a moment. "You've been a great help. You should know that you're a very strong girl."

"I'll take your word for it," I said with a chuckle, going over with him to the door. He gave me one last look.

"You take care now, Miss Garcia," he grinned.

"You too," I told him, something inside me making the statement come out more serious than I intended. Gordon gave me a reassuring look, and with that, he stepped out onto the corridor, bringing the door to a close quietly behind him.

Sighing gently, I started to make my way back over to the bed, not sure what to do now. I didn't feel like resting anymore, yet I doubted the officer outside would allow me to leave the room on my own. Trying not to feel frustrated, I lifted up the covers and climbed into bed, resting my head against the pillow behind me as I let my gaze focus once more on the GCN segment, where Mike Engel was now taking calls from the public – I had a lot more freedom now than I ever did under the Joker's watchful eye. Letting my mind go silent, it was then that I realized just how tired I was. I closed my eyes.

But it was when I opened them again, a period of time having passed that I could not quantify, that I was delivered the greatest shock I had felt in a long time. Soft, brown eyes swam in my vision, gazing down at me gently. My breath hitched in my throat.

Chad.

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed! Please review to tell me what you think! :)**


	27. Familiar Faces

**A/N: Thank you so much StarrGazed, Samantha. auten, zuzzy6, hyannae, LaurenA007, starzthatsparkle606, PeyPey206, zakeia. forbes, Kalaia, california2015, crazyaboutto, and nth0636 for your favourites, follows and/or reviews, they mean so much to me! I'm sorry for how long this took, I had a little bit of writer's block with how this chapter was going to go. But I hope you guys like it! Don't forget to review to tell me what you think! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from _The Dark Knight trilogy_. All I own is Cora and any other original characters :)**

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Anthony Garcia felt the heat of the late afternoon sunshine beating down upon him as he rushed across the hospital parking lot of Gotham General. His heart was racing, his fingernails digging into his clenched, sweaty palms, but he told himself to remain calm. He was focusing on silently re-reading the words of the message to himself. 'Disturbance' replayed over and over inside his head like a news reel, taunting him as he hurried across the hot tarmac, a voice that was now all too familiar encircling him. He couldn't escape it, not even for a moment, that insane giggle feeling like it was reverberating off the chasms in his head, those vile, yellow teeth glinting in the sunlight.

Gritting his teeth, he forced away the images just enough so that he could think. He couldn't let his own anger for that man get in the way of what he had to do. He couldn't lose himself.

Quickening his pace, he was relieved when he spotted the large, blue Land Rover by the exit, his driver, Austin, giving him a small smile in greeting through the windshield. He returned it, speeding over to the car so that he could open the door to the back seat, hastily climbing inside. As they pulled out of the lot, he found himself grateful for the silence. Though having a conversation would provide a welcome distraction, he needed the time just to be alone with his thoughts for a while, both as he mentally prepared himself for what could possibly be waiting for him at home, and as he finally allowed the guilt to hit him full-force at having to leave his daughter back there alone without so much as a goodbye or an explanation. As Gotham General flickered out of sight, he hoped she would understand that he wasn't abandoning her for something any less important than her safety. That was all that mattered to him now, was all that had mattered to him ever since she'd been born.

He would make sure that that monster paid for what he did, he thought. Ensure that he would never come within a hundred miles of her ever again.

* * *

"Is ... is this real?" I said, blinking at him as if he were some kind of mirage that would suddenly disappear. Chad gave me a sympathetic expression, nodding as he lowered himself into the chair beside my bed that Gordon had vacated. I pushed myself up with one arm so that I was sitting in the middle of the mattress, meeting his eyes again that were studying me softly.

"Of course it is," he said. "Why wouldn't it be?"

I let out a small sigh, rubbing my arm. "I don't know," I said, my voice coming out hoarse. "I just ... feel like I don't even trust myself anymore," I told him quietly, taking in a shaky breath. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I felt _scared_ right then and there to be anything less than cautious, like this was some dream and I didn't want to dare let myself feel happy in case it was all suddenly snatched away. Like it was one of the Joker's sick mind games – I was the rabbit and he was the one holding the stick with the carrot on a string. I let my eyes flicker back to Chad to see him watching me sadly.

"I know what you mean," he said. "I feel it, too." He glanced down at his lap. "It's like ... the emotions you feel ... you don't know whether they're your own or whether they belong to some new version of you. Like you're a whole other person." He looked back up at me solemnly. "But you're not. You're still the same. Same likes, dislikes, hobbies. You've just lived through something that, in the end, will make you a stronger person, even if it doesn't like feel like it now," he finished gently. He smiled a little at my shocked expression. "What, did you not think a guy like me could be in touch with his emotions?"

I shook my head quickly. "No, I ... it just feels good to know that there's someone out there who knows how you're feeling, even when you yourself can't explain or understand it," I said truthfully, and I felt my cheeks flush a little at how open I was being with emotions I was sure anyone would decide were crazy. But I didn't feel any sense of judgement from Chad; it was like I was talking to a good friend who'd felt the same, and had found their own way of dealing with it.

"Thank you," I said after a pause, feeling a small smile cross my lips. "For everything. I can't tell you how much I appreciated what you did that day, helping me leave. I just wish I'd made it count," I said bitterly, but he shook his head at me.

"You _did,"_ he said. "You saw your dad again, you let him see that you were truly alive." A sad smile crossed his face again. "I just ..." he murmured, twisting his fingers, "I wish I'd done something sooner, looking back. Made the decision earlier. There were so many opportunities I could have taken to help you escape for good ..." He sighed, looking down. "It's my fault he kept you for so long."

It was my turn to shake my head now. "No, it wasn't, Chad," I said softly. "It was him. The criminal mastermind. It was all him."

I watched silently as he lowered his gaze to his clasped hands, his lips a tight line. I looked down at the comforter, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable with me just staring at him. A moment seemed to go by until he finally nodded faintly, letting out a deep breath that seemed to completely deflate him before he glanced up at me. "Do you ... want to know how I even ended up working for him?" he asked seriously, biting his lip a little. I nodded.

"Of course I do."

He sighed gently. "Okay," he said quietly, smiling in a way that suggested he was finding this a little surreal. "I guess it all started when I was in college," he told me, rubbing his palms together. "When all I cared about was how people saw me," he said, and I could hear the frustration in his voice as he reflected on his younger self. "I got into the wrong crowd, the kind of guys who don't care about anything other than themselves. I buried myself under so many _material things_ it was unreal." There was a pause before he shook his head in disgust. "I was real stupid," he said, looking over at the far wall for a moment before seeming to force himself to continue.

"Anyway, there's no way you can live like that on a student budget. Not the way I was going, at least," he said. "So, I got involved with some friends who told me that they knew some guys ... and by the end of that week we were doing robberies in the middle of the night. Mostly in the area around campus so that we didn't have to go too far. At first it was just to pay off some debts that I had but then I soon realised that ... I _liked_ it." He glanced at me for a moment, looking like he wasn't sure how I was reacting to all this. I nodded at him encouragingly, hoping he didn't think I was judging him.

"It was the adrenaline," he said, gesturing with his hands. "Not knowing whether the people we were robbing were gonna wake up. I soon reached a point where I realized I could make a living out of doing this, not by working my ass off studying to get a dead-beat career. So, I dropped out of college, and it became my full-time job." He sighed. "A couple of months passed and that was when we first heard about ... the Joker."

I felt a shiver involuntarily run down my spine as I thought about how that first meeting could have gone between them. The Joker pitching them his plans for the city, knowing full-well that he'd already ensnared them right from the off. I had seen how cunning and manipulative he could be first-hand.

"I should have left when I'd had the chance," Chad said. "Gone off on my own, not gotten involved. But he promised us so much ... he was clever, you could tell he was a smart cookie," he said, and I nodded knowingly in agreement. "And when you've got a gang of you who are smart and know what they're doing, well, you can imagine the possibilities ..." he told me. "And it just went on from there. The Joker whittled us down 'til there was only a handful of us left, convincing newcomers to join his gang and killing off the ones he didn't need anymore or who annoyed him. Caleb, John, and Kimberly –" he nodded at me, knowing I knew them by name, "they had to go through a lot of shit to get to where they are now."

"But you must have gone through a lot to get to where you were, too," I said. "Why throw it all away to help me out?"

He pushed a hand through his hair. "I was already having second thoughts about being there," he replied. "When I first joined him, I never expected it was going to get this big, with him taking over the whole city. I should've seen it, I mean, the man's a genius, but ... well, I guess I was more focused on the thrill of it all," he said hardly.

Nodding in understanding, I couldn't help but remember the time the Joker had said almost exactly the same thing. I wondered if most of the others who worked for him were also attracted by the rush that came with living alongside a murderous, schizophrenic clown. Pushing it out of my mind for now, already feeling the beginnings of that nostalgic feeling that came when I thought of the events of this past week, I focused back on Chad, a lighter expression now on his face.

"Did you know I was one of the guys who went to the fundraiser?" he asked, smiling at me. "I was wearing a clown mask, and you stared right at me one time." He chuckled before glancing down at his hands again for a moment. "When he made us look for you in that penthouse, I remember myself hoping that I wouldn't find you, that I wouldn't come across you accidentally so that I wouldn't have to make that decision. I knew then that I wanted you to escape," he said quietly.

The memory of being dragged out of that place down to the parking garage where the Joker had proceeded to punish me for pulling a stunt like that filled my mind. I felt a tingle go down the back of my neck as the hairs there began to stand on end.

"So, when I got in that car with you," Chad said with a sense of finality, "and I had to drive you so that you could watch your dad get shot up there on that podium ... it was just the push I needed to leave," he explained, his brown eyes boring into me earnestly.

"What did you do when you left?" I asked.

"I managed to find an old friend's, just to stay at for the night until I figured out what I was going to do next," he replied. "I saw on the news in the morning that the Joker must have gotten you back because the case was still ongoing, so I went to the police station. I told them everything, even how I was involved. Ever since then, I've been staying in one of their cells. Not as a prisoner," he explained quickly, seeing my face, "it was just because I had nowhere to stay, and plus I get a couple of luxuries. It's just while I'm helping them on the investigation. Everyone thought it was over until later last night, when ... y'know, he escaped," he ended reluctantly, and I felt my heart give a little loop-the-loop at the reminder before something struck me.

"Does Gordon know?" I asked. He nodded.

"I saw him at the station this morning," he explained, before a small smirk crept across his face. "I think he's a little doubtful of me, which is to be expected," he said, and I smiled a little at the thought of Gordon giving him a wide berth whilst they both got on with their respective jobs at the station. Chad glanced down at his hands that he was fidgeting with nervously.

"I debated asking him whether I could see you," he told me quietly. "But, it was kind of obvious that he'd say no, so ... I decided to come down here myself," he admitted. "I spoke to the officer outside –" he gestured with his head at the door. "I was lucky, he'd seen me at the station. After a bit of persuading, he said I could see you for ten minutes." He smiled. "I'm sure he's still listening to every word I'm saying."

I grinned at this, a little puzzled at why he would take the time out to come and see me of all people when he had so many other things he could do with his new life, but I was grateful nonetheless. My earlier caution felt like it had completely melted away, and I felt guilty that I had even been so guarded at first. I couldn't let the Joker hang over me like he was some kind of vulture, waiting to pick at me whenever I gave him the chance. It was time I focused on putting him behind me. I had a whole life to live – by no means was it over.

As silence fell between us, I brought my thumb up to my mouth to bite at a hang-nail that was bothering me.

"There's something you should know," said Chad suddenly, as if something had just entered his mind. Seeing his troubled expression, I slowly lowered my hand, giving him a small smile to show that I was listening.

"When I first joined the Joker," he said, looking down at his palms, "it was clear to me, clear to _anyone_, that he was a psychopath. As cold and unloving as they come. He would kill a baby if he could, just 'cause it would be 'fun'." He chuckled humourlessly, shaking his head like he could hardly believe what he was saying, like he could hardly believe he was saying that about _anyone_. "Anyway," he said, and the pause that followed felt like it was stretching out to infinity. "That all changed when I started really watching the way he was around you."

He glanced up so that he was looking at me properly, his tanned face almost completely stoic whilst I felt the bemusement crawl across my own.

"What?" I said, my voice catching in my throat as a sympathetic look took over his features.

"I know it sounds crazy," he admitted. "But it was the way he looked at you, like you were the most precious thing to him," he said, smiling conflictingly. "You must have noticed how he never let you out of his sight, not for a moment. You were the focus of his attention, always," he said, seeming to struggle with how to put it.

I shook my head, realizing my mouth had gone very dry. "I was just his _hobby," _I said. "He enjoyed messing with my mind, torturing me." I went silent, clenching my hands into fists as I started playing with the bedsheets, trying to push away the memories that were threatening to fill my mind. "He wanted to bring me down to his level. I don't remember him being particularly caring when he was beating the crap out of me," I said stonily.

"I know it must not sound like it makes a whole lot of sense ... but think about it," he said softly, and I looked up to meet his kind, brown eyes that seemed to be paying my disbelief no mind. "The things he said to you, everything he did to steal you ... is it really too far fetched of an idea that he feels something for you, something that can't be explained?"

I couldn't reply to that. Because something inside me suppressed that belief, told me it wasn't real. But before I could ask him any more questions, the door to the hallway suddenly opened and the officer who had been standing guard outside appeared around it hurriedly.

"Miss Garcia," he said, "we're evacuating the hospital. I'm going to be escorting you out of here in two minutes, so I suggest you get your things together."

"What's going on?" I said urgently, pushing myself over to the edge of the bed, but that was when I heard it: the sound of commotion cascading through the open door, assaulting my senses. Hurried footsteps thudding along the corridor, people calling out anxiously to one another. I felt my heart begin to thud sickeningly in my chest.

"The Joker," I heard Chad say simply. A muscle in his jaw was pulsing. The officer nodded at him.

"Please, get your stuff together, and I'll be back in two minutes," he said, closing the door behind him swiftly. I glanced over at Chad but he was already out of his chair, marching over to grab the TV remote. Sliding to my feet, I slowly went over to join him, watching as the screen flickered to life before switching to the nearest news channel, a female news anchor delivering the story solemn-faced.

_"This just in, the criminal by the name of the Joker has made a public threat against M&amp;A lawyer Coleman Reese's life live on air during a segment hosted by GCN's Mike Engel. Now, we have footage, but we warn you in advance, some viewers may find this disturbing."_

_"I had a vision,"_ that familiar, nasally voice slithered through the speakers, seeming to draw the air out of the room as something cold felt like it had just grabbed me by my insides. _"Of a world without Batman. The Mob ground out a little profit and the police tried to shut them down one block at a time. And it was so ... _boring_. I've had a change of heart. I don't want Mr Reese _spoiling_ everything but why should _I_ have all the fun? Let's give someone else a chance. If Coleman Reese isn't _dead_ in sixty minutes, then I blow up a _hospital_."_

I felt the breath I had been holding rush out of me with a whoosh, everything seeming to grow hazy like I'd suddenly been submerged underwater. I felt Chad step closer to me protectively, but all I could hear was the voice of the news anchor as it faded to a low buzz in the background, the words "evacuation" and "mass panic" meeting my thrumming ears. He was going to blow up a hospital. And I already knew which one.

I stumbled over to the pile of my clothes that were laying folded on one of the cabinets. "I've got to go and get changed," I said as I picked them up, passing him as I made my way over to the bathroom. Pulling the door closed behind me and locking it, I immediately started pulling off the hospital gown, chucking it over the basin before pushing my legs through my jeans, my fingers fumbling with the button for a good ten seconds until finally succeeding with it. I yanked my t-shirt over my head, telling myself not to panic. The hospital was evacuating: no one was going to get hurt this time. If I just stuck with the others, everything would be fine.

Checking myself over quickly, I headed back out, my eyes landing on Chad who was watching me intently. "I'm ready," I said, trying to stop my voice from shaking but hardly managing it. I watched as a conflicted smile crept across his face, his eyes boring into me sadly before he suddenly strode over to me, his arms wrapping around me tightly and pulling me into his chest. I wasn't in the mind to protest, simply breathing in the earthy smell that permeated from his brown, corded jacket.

"Everything's gonna be fine," he said down to me quietly, though I could hear the steel in his voice. "He's not gonna get to you, I promise."

Taking in a deep breath, I carefully broke away from him, nodding. I just wished I could believe him.

"Is there anything else you need to take?" he asked, glancing around the room. I felt something click in my head, going over to grab the cell phone my dad had given me from the nightstand. I tucked it into my jeans pocket, wondering whether he'd already been evacuated. I'd look for him outside.

"That's everything," I said, my heart feeling like it had risen up into my throat.

"Okay," Chad said, coming over to take my hand. He squeezed it tightly. "It's gonna be fine," he told me reassuringly, just as there was a knock at the door. I watched as a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties in officer uniform stepped into the room, and for some reason I felt something stir in my stomach, the feeling that something wasn't right heightening my senses. I wondered where the officer from before was as his gaze fixed itself on me.

"Miss Garcia," he said just as his beady eyes flickered onto Chad, and all of a sudden they seemed to bulge out of his head. "What the f–"

Before I could blink Chad had launched himself at him, his fist retracting before flying through the air to collide with the man's face. I gasped as he landed with a thump on the ground, completely knocked out cold whilst Chad moved to stand over him, breathing heavily through his nose.

"I know him. His name's Garrett," he spat as I stared at him in shock. "He works for the Joker." I felt my eyes widen as he turned to look back at me, the urgency now clear to see in his eyes. "He's sent someone for you. We need to leave," he said.

Feeling the terror stirring in the pit of my stomach, I hurriedly went over to join him at the doorway, stepping around carefully the body of the Joker's henchman who was now splayed out on the floor. As we stepped out onto the hallway, I realised that the place was almost completely silent. The only signs of life were a couple of anxious-looking doctors and nurses and, by the looks of it, relatives of some of the patients who were looking almost catatonic with fear and worry over their loved ones. This was what the Joker wanted, I realized. Pain and fear.

"Where should we go?" I breathed, trying to remember which way the nearest exit was to the parking lot.

"I'm not sure," said Chad, looking around. "I was never very good at directions." He smiled slightly, just as both our gazes landed on the same thing simultaneously: a nurse who was standing in the doorway to a nearby office, her attention focused on her clipboard. "Let's ask," he said, pulling me over gently in her direction. "Excuse me?" he said. "We got lost in the pandemonium, could you tell us ...?"

He never got to finish, because she was already turning around. I felt like my heart had dropped out through my stomach, my insides shrivelling into nothing as I slowly took in the painted features, the black eyes coming to land on me over the white face mask the Joker was now pulling off from around his ears, nudging the red-haired wig he was wearing slightly in the process. His lips stretched into a wide grin, his yellow teeth gleaming at me.

"Did you miss me, sweetheart? 'Cause _I_ sure missed _you_."


End file.
